Ergonomically Designed Commercial Kitchens

Commercial kitchens are ideally large and hold much more equipment than a domestic kitchen does. The question however, is what kind of appliances, fittings and furniture does it have? Are the appliances easy to operate? Do the people working inside the kitchen actually enjoy being there? Generally, a comfortable working space is one where there is minimal motion and more work being done-less bending, turning and lifting.

Given that food is more often than not prepared on a large scale, the time spent in here is considerably longer. Tools are constantly being used and shared in some cases. The rate of wear is doubled or even tripled as such. Whenever you buy appliances or fit furniture, it is advisable to make sure they are ergonomically fit.

A kitchen qualifies to be termed as ergonomically correct if it has the following:

Design

The layout of the kitchen should be such that the sinks, refrigerators and cooking areas form an equilateral triangle when joined by an imaginary line. The Building Code of Australia recommends that every person needs at least 10 squared meters for proper movement.

For a commercial kitchen especially, there should be a physical barrier between the area where meat is prepared and the zone where cooked food is handled. This specialization/zoning also creates order.

Where only one type of food is prepared, it is easy to have your equipment configured and stored in a particular order depending on the steps taken.

You can place freezers right next to fryers to eliminate the need to walk from the fridge to the stove when meat products need to be prepared.

Floors

Standing for long periods, especially on hard surfaces causes fatigue and strains the feet muscles. Consider covering the entire floor with anti-fatigue mats to support the feet of those working. Wooden floors are on better than cement or tile.

Appliances

The first thing about appliances is to have them within reach. Especially the most frequently used once. Considering the traffic, have boards in safe locations to hang the top five most used appliances.

The fridge should be placed next to the entrance of the kitchen

Sinks must be large enough to fit all equipment and have a steady water supply of not less than 43 degrees Celsius for washing, and 80 degrees for sanitization purposes. There must be space at the immediate area around the sink for draining and drying utensils.

Dishwashers should wash and rinse in one cycle

Crockery And Utensils

Soft grip Knife, ladle and spoon handles, lids with insulated holders are some of the few improvements you can make in your kitchen.

Fittings

These should have smooth rounded edges preferably.

Refrigerated counters need to be made of stainless steel. The counters should be of a generally comfortable height. The other option would be to have them at different heights to accommodate all the staff. All other counters must be smooth and crack free. This also goes for conveyors.

Furniture

Consider left handed persons and make door and cabinet handles that they can operate with ease.Wherever possible, all equipment must be easy to move for cleaning.

Safety

The whole point of ergonomics is comfort plus safety. The Safe Works Program, endorsed by the Government of South Australia recommends that all large scale kitchens must have:

a) A safe exit from the workplace in the case of an emergency

b) Safe access to any part of the kitchen

Looking at the big picture, an ergonomic kitchen is not only comfortable and safe, but also boosts productivity, translating to a higher margin for the owner.


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Jeremy works at Apollo Kitchens. The company's magnificent work has been lauded by high profile clients like Celebrity Chef Pete Evans. Their dedication and skill in designing ergonomic kitchens make them a first choice for hundreds of clients. Visit http://www.apollokitchens.com.au/commercial-kitchen.html for nire unquiries.