Product Overview

This Catering Services SWMS is a comprehensive Safe Work Method Statement designed to identify hazards, assess risks, and implement effective controls for catering operations on Australian worksites and event locations. It provides end-to-end coverage of food preparation, handling, transport, and service activities to support WHS compliance and safe, efficient catering delivery.

Activities & Specific Tasks Covered

This document includes specific risk controls for:

• Safe setup and pack-down of catering equipment, serving stations, and temporary food service areas
• Selection, inspection, and safe use of portable cooking equipment, including ovens, fryers, grills, and hotplates
• Management of hot surfaces, steam, and hot liquids to prevent burns and scalds
• Safe use and handling of knives, slicers, and other sharp utensils to minimise cuts and lacerations
• Manual handling of food trays, eskies, gas bottles, tables, and bulk supplies to reduce sprain and strain injuries
• Hygienic food preparation, storage, temperature control, and cross-contamination prevention
• Safe operation and positioning of portable gas appliances, cylinders, and associated hoses and fittings
• Use of electrical equipment such as bain-maries, urns, warmers, and extension leads, including RCD protection and tagging
• Management of slips, trips, and falls in kitchen, back-of-house, and service areas, including spill response
• Safe loading, unloading, and transport of catering equipment and food in vehicles to and from site
• Management of crowd interaction, queuing, and service lines to protect staff and patrons
• Emergency response procedures for fire, gas leak, burns, cuts, and other catering-related incidents
• Use of personal protective equipment (PPE) including gloves, aprons, non-slip footwear, and cut-resistant gloves

Who is this for?

This SWMS is designed for catering companies, on-site kitchen teams, event and function caterers, mobile food service operators, and site supervisors responsible for overseeing catering activities.

Specific Job Steps & Hazards Covered

Legislation & References

This document was researched and developed to align with:

• Safe Work Australia – Managing the Work Environment and Facilities Code of Practice: Guidance on providing a safe and healthy work environment for catering staff.
• Safe Work Australia – Hazardous Manual Tasks Code of Practice: Controls for lifting, carrying, and repetitive catering tasks.
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Risks of Plant in the Workplace Code of Practice: Safe use of catering plant such as ovens, fryers, and food preparation equipment.
• Safe Work Australia – Managing Electrical Risks in the Workplace Code of Practice: Requirements for safe use of electrical catering equipment and temporary power.
• Safe Work Australia – How to Manage Work Health and Safety Risks Code of Practice: Framework for identifying, assessing, and controlling risks in catering operations.
• AS/NZS 3760 In-service safety inspection and testing of electrical equipment: Guidance for inspection and testing of portable electrical catering equipment.
• AS/NZS 5601 Gas installations: Requirements for the safe installation and use of gas appliances and cylinders used in catering.
• Work Health and Safety Act 2011
• Work Health and Safety Regulations 2017