Health and Safety crackdown on Cornwall eateries

Owners of takeaway restaurants in Cornwall are being targeted by local organisations to make sure they are up to speed with the Health and Safety regulations.

Several organisations, including Cornwall Fire and Rescue Service, Cornwall Council, Devon and Cornwall Police, Cornwall Housing and Immigration Enforcement, are combining their efforts through the Cornwall Community Safety Partnership to deliver free training for the local takeaway establishments.

A number of topics will be covered by the partnership, and will include housing, migrant workers, employment responsibilities and fire safety. The training will be taking place in September across Cornwall and local takeaways will be sent an invite to take part.

Geoff Brown, the cabinet member for communities from Cornwall Council, said:

“There are many aspects to running a successful takeaway food business and we want operators to be aware of and comply with their legal obligations.”

For most owners this will include complying with the Health and Safety Act and the issuing of PPE where necessary, to protect employees from serious injury due to hazardous substances.

Brown added that he wanted each and every takeaway owner to take advantage of the free training, which would enhance their reputation in the area. Following the training, a number of visits by various agencies will take place to ensure that the owners remain compliant with regulations. Any establishments in the region that have not accepted an invite to a training session will be visited so that officers can ensure that they are compliant and offer any training that may be required.