Fryer Safety

Fryer Safety Workplace Poster

Help prevent burns and other kitchen injuries with the Fryer Safety Workplace Poster. This workplace safety poster provides employees with a convenient visual reminder of important precautions for working around deep fryers, hot cooking oil, grease, and other high-temperature kitchen equipment.

Deep fryers can expose restaurant and food-service employees to serious burn, splash, slip, and fire hazards. Proper training, safe operating procedures, appropriate protective equipment, and careful cleaning and maintenance practices can help reduce these risks.

What Are Common Deep Fryer Hazards?

Employees working with or near commercial fryers may encounter several workplace hazards, including:

• Burns from hot cooking oil or grease
• Oil splashes and splattering
• Contact with hot fryer surfaces
• Steam and other hot liquids
• Grease fires and flare-ups
• Slips and falls near greasy or wet floors
• Burns while draining, filtering, or changing fryer oil
• Injuries during fryer cleaning or maintenance
• Improper use of fryer baskets and cooking equipment

How Can Employees Use a Deep Fryer Safely?

Employees should receive appropriate training before operating, cleaning, or maintaining commercial fryers and should follow the manufacturer's instructions and established workplace safety procedures.

Important fryer safety practices include:

• Use caution whenever working around hot oil or grease
• Follow the correct fryer temperature and oil-level requirements
• Lower food into hot oil carefully to reduce splashing
• Never pour or spill water or ice into hot cooking oil
• Do not leave hot oil or grease unattended
• Avoid reaching or leaning over hot fryers
• Keep fryer and cooking surfaces clean to help prevent grease buildup
• Keep floors around fryers clean and dry
• Use appropriate protective equipment when required
• Follow established procedures when draining, filtering, or replacing cooking oil

Prevent Burns From Hot Oil and Grease

Hot cooking oil can cause serious burns. Employees should keep their hands, arms, face, and body away from hot oil whenever practical and should use fryer baskets, utensils, gloves, scrapers, and other tools according to workplace procedures.

Employees should also avoid carrying or moving containers of hot oil unless proper procedures and equipment are used. Fryer oil should be allowed to cool when required by the manufacturer's instructions or workplace procedures before cleaning, filtering, draining, or performing other tasks that could expose employees to hot grease.

Never Put Water or Ice Into Hot Fryer Oil

Water and hot cooking oil can react violently. Water or ice introduced into hot oil can rapidly turn to steam and cause hot grease to splatter or overflow, creating a serious burn hazard.

Employees should keep wet utensils, excessive ice, water, and other sources of moisture away from hot fryer oil and follow established procedures for preparing frozen or wet foods before placing them into a fryer.

Personal Protective Equipment for Fryer Safety

Employers should assess workplace tasks to determine whether personal protective equipment is necessary. Depending on the hazards and work being performed, appropriate protection may include gloves, protective clothing, eye or face protection, or other equipment.

Under 29 CFR 1910.132, employers must assess the workplace for hazards that may require personal protective equipment and select appropriate PPE for affected employees. OSHA's hand-protection requirements also address hazards such as thermal burns.

Fryer Cleaning and Maintenance Safety

Cleaning and maintaining a fryer can expose employees to hot oil, hot surfaces, grease, cleaning chemicals, and equipment hazards. Employees should follow the manufacturer's instructions and established workplace procedures before cleaning, servicing, or maintaining fryer equipment.

Employees should not climb on fryers or other hot cooking equipment to reach ventilation systems or overhead areas. Ventilation hoods and surrounding equipment should be cleaned using safe procedures and at appropriate times when hot equipment does not create an additional hazard.

Prevent Slips and Falls Around Fryers

Oil, grease, food, and water on kitchen floors can create dangerous slip hazards, particularly near hot cooking equipment. Employees should promptly address spills and keep walking and working surfaces around fryers as clean and dry as practical.

Appropriate footwear and good housekeeping practices can help reduce the risk of an employee slipping or falling into or against hot cooking equipment.

Where Can a Fryer Safety Poster Be Displayed?

The Fryer Safety Workplace Poster can help reinforce employee safety practices in workplaces such as:

• Restaurants
• Fast-food and quick-service restaurants
• Commercial kitchens
• School and institutional cafeterias
• Hotels and hospitality kitchens
• Food-service operations
• Grocery store kitchens and delis
• Catering facilities
• Food preparation and employee training areas

Is a Fryer Safety Poster Required by OSHA?

OSHA requires employers to protect employees from applicable workplace hazards and comply with relevant safety requirements. However, this particular Fryer Safety Workplace Poster is intended as a supplemental employee safety and training resource and should not be represented as a universally required OSHA workplace poster.

This poster can help reinforce an employer's established fryer and kitchen safety procedures, but it does not replace employee training, hazard assessments, personal protective equipment, equipment instructions, emergency procedures, or other applicable workplace safety requirements.

Fryer Safety Poster Specifications

• 8.5"W x 11"H
• Portrait orientation
• Printed in full color
• Laminated with high-quality laminate

Workplace Safety and Compliance Resources

Labor Law Compliance Center provides employers with labor law posters, workplace safety posters, specialty postings, and compliance resources for businesses throughout the United States. Explore our additional workplace safety materials to help reinforce employee training, hazard awareness, and safe work practices.