Free job hazard analysis · 29 CFR 1910.141 / General Duty Clause
Commercial Kitchen JHA Template: Prep, Cook, and Clean
A commercial kitchen JHA looks at the worker hazards in food preparation, cooking, cleaning, and storage. Its five steps address wet floors, knives and slicers, hot oil, steam, cleaning chemicals, and heavy containers. Kitchen managers and shift leads use it to set task controls that remain workable during a busy service, not just during setup.
The full commercial kitchen JHA template
Commercial Kitchen Food Preparation. Blanks in [brackets] are for your own details.
The printable copy downloads as a web page file: open it in your browser, then print it or save it as a PDF.
Job hazard analysis for commercial kitchen operations including knife work, cooking, and cleaning.
- Step 1
Prepare workstation and gather ingredients
Medium riskHazards
Slips on wet/greasy floors, cuts from misplaced knives
Controls
Non-slip footwear required. Clean and dry floor before starting. Knives stored in block or magnetic strip — never loose in drawers.
- Step 2
Use knives and cutting equipment
High riskHazards
Lacerations, amputations from slicers/mandolins
Controls
Cut-resistant gloves for mandolin use. Sharp knives (dull knives require more force and slip). Cut away from body. Use proper cutting board.
- Step 3
Operate cooking equipment (fryers, ovens, grills)
High riskHazards
Burns from hot oil/surfaces, grease fires, steam burns
Controls
Oven mitts and long sleeves. Never carry open containers of hot oil. Keep fire suppression system inspected. Dry hands before handling hot items.
- Step 4
Clean equipment and workstations
Medium riskHazards
Chemical exposure from cleaners, electrical shock from wet equipment
Controls
Follow SDS for cleaning chemicals. Disconnect equipment before cleaning. Never spray water on electrical components. Ventilate when using chemicals.
- Step 5
Handle and store food items
Low riskHazards
Musculoskeletal injury from heavy containers, biological hazards
Controls
Use carts for heavy items. Follow FIFO rotation. Store chemicals below/away from food. Temperature monitoring for refrigeration.
The printable copy lays the steps out as a table with Prepared by, Reviewed by and Date lines.
A starting point, not legal advice. Have a qualified person check it against your site, your state's rules and the standard before you rely on it.
Commercial kitchen JHA: when it’s needed
Prepare a kitchen JHA when opening a workstation, changing equipment, assigning unfamiliar duties, or investigating cuts and burns. OSHA does not generally require the written JHA itself. The template references sanitation under 29 CFR 1910.141 and the General Duty Clause, but those are not the only provisions that may apply. Machine guarding under 1910.212 and walking-working surface housekeeping under 1910.22 are relevant to many kitchens. Evaluate the particular equipment and tasks instead of treating a food-safety procedure as a worker-safety assessment.
How to use this commercial kitchen JHA template
- Observe preparation and service periods to locate spill sources, crowded routes, knife storage problems, and awkward container handling.
- List each slicer, mandolin, fryer, oven, and mixer used, then match controls to its guards and operating instructions.
- Define safe cooling, draining, and transport methods for hot oil instead of relying only on gloves or sleeves.
- Review cleaning chemicals and equipment isolation with the closing crew, including how workers report damaged guards or electrical components.
Before you use this commercial kitchen JHA template: what to fill in and check
- Equipment models, installed guards, cleaning instructions, and authorized user assignments.
- Fryer oil handling route, cooling method, and suitable heat protection.
- Floor drainage, spill response supplies, footwear policy, and peak-service traffic patterns.
- Cleaner labels, safety data sheets, chemical storage, and employee age restrictions.
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Commercial kitchen JHA questions
Can employees under eighteen use a meat slicer in a restaurant?
Federal child labor rules generally prohibit workers under eighteen from operating power-driven meat slicers. Do not assign that task merely because a young worker has received kitchen training or wears cut-resistant gloves. Check the federal youth employment rules and any stricter state restrictions before making assignments, including cleaning or other duties around restricted machinery.
Are cut-resistant gloves enough when using kitchen cutting equipment?
No. Gloves may reduce certain knife or mandolin injuries, but they do not replace guards, push devices, safe hand placement, or equipment-specific instructions. Glove selection also needs to account for moving-part entanglement hazards. Review each tool separately rather than extending a mandolin glove instruction to powered cutting machinery without checking the manufacturer’s guidance.
What should a kitchen JHA include about cleaning a slicer?
Describe how to stop and isolate the machine, handle removable sharp parts, apply cleaning chemicals, and reassemble guards before reuse. Disconnecting a machine is not the complete answer for every setup; assess applicable hazardous-energy controls and the actual power arrangement. Keep the cleaning method consistent with the manufacturer’s instructions and restrict the task to appropriately assigned workers.