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Bed & Breakfast - Starting a B&B in Kennet

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Kennet District Council's Environmental Health Department is responsible for enforcing food safety regulations (under the Food Safety Act 1990) at B & B's in the District through routine food hygiene inspections.

Health & Safety enforcement for B & B's is dealt with the the Health & Safety Executive (HSE), but our officers are happy to advise on health & safety matters.

The aim of this page is to assist new and existing businesses to comply with the law, whilst running a safe and successful enterprise.

Kennet District Council Environmental Health Department seek to do this through guidance and support. If at any point there is something you do not understand or want more details do not hesitate to contact the team on 01380 724 911 or email kennet@kennet.gov.uk.




GETTING STARTED

Guidance for Kitchen / Production Area Layout

The following points should be considered when planning or refurbishing your kitchen/production area :

  • Size of the kitchen/production area

  • Lighting

  • Ventilation

  • Equipment

  • Surfaces - size and intended use

  • Staff facilities

  • Cleaning

  • Refuse

  • Pest control

You should also consider:

  • Workflow i.e. the way in which the food will move around the kitchen/production area

  • Deliveries

  • Storage

  • Preparation

  • Cooking

  • Final preparation

  • Cross contamination

  • Serving

If you need any specific guidance regarding the construction and layout of a kitchen, officers from the Environmental

Health Department's Food Safety Team can help.

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Guidance on Kitchen Structure

The general construction of the kitchen should be sound, this means:

Structure

The walls, floors, ceilings, doors and windows must be in good condition. They must be able to be cleaned and disinfected.

Lighting and ventilation

Should be provided in all parts of the premises, it can be either natural or artificial .The type of ventilation will depend on the size and activity of the kitchen. For small premises with low heat production opening windows or doors may be used. If this is the case proofing against the entry of insects may need to be considered.

Equipment

All equipment that you use must be kept clean and maintained in a good condition. Equipment must be suitable for the intended purpose.

Cleaning facilities

There must be facilities for washing food and equipment. These must be kept clean and have a continuous supply of hot and cold water.

Refuse disposal

Food waste and other refuse must not be allowed to accumulate. The containers used for food waste must be easy to clean and disinfect and must be kept in good condition. Any refuse container used for storage of waste awaiting collection must have a lid and be made of a durable material that can be easily cleaned and disinfected.

Pest control

You must take steps to prevent and/or control entry of pests onto your premises. Pests include; mice, rats, birds and insects e.g cockroaches.

Training

All food handlers must be trained to a level appropriate to the types of food handled. As the proprietor/manager of a food business you have to ensure adequate training of yourself and your staff if you have any. The level of training required will need to be decided on a case-by-case basis. It will depend on a variety of factors including: -

whether the job concerned involves dealing with open high-risk foods

the complexity of the work

whether the food handler has a supervisory role (e.g. where the proprietor or manager is also a food handler)

whether any more specific advice is provided in an officially recognised industry guide

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Cleaning

all food premises and equipment must be kept clean. A regular cleaning regime is advisable. Equipment must be easy to clean and dismantled and cleaned regularly. The use of disinfectants and sanitizers is necessary.

Register with the local authority where the business will be based. Most food businesses should be registered, but there are some exceptions, if you have less than three bedrooms there is no legal requirement to register as a food business. Even if you do not register you are still subject to the Food Safety Act 1990, meaning you will be routinely inspected by officers from Environmental Health. More information on exemptions

Registration is free and will provide you with access to help and advice from your local authority.

To register you can download a new business registration form here (pdf, 28 KB).

HAZARD ANALYSIS

Hazard analysis is a way of identifying what can go wrong and looks at ways to stop this happening.

You will need to know about hazard analysis, because it does apply to all food businesses. It is a simple technique, to identify hazards and to come up with sensible steps to reduce the hazard.

Further information can be obtained from the Environmental Health Department on 01380 724 911 or email kennet@kennet.gov.uk

KEEPING FOOD SAFE IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY

HEALTH & SAFETY

All businesses whether large or small must comply with health and safety legislation. The legislation is there to protect the health and safety of yourself, your employee’s; this includes any trainees, outside contractors, visitors and members of the public. The law places the emphasis on the business to comply and the HSE or the Local Authority to enforce.

As a Bed and Breakfast business the Health and Safety Executive are your enforcing body. This guide has been produced in recognition of the important role Bed and Breakfasts play in the local economy and the fact that a food safety officer, who also has the expertise in the field of health and safety at work will be calling on you and will be able to offer you advice.

For further advice please contact any of the officers in the Environmental Health Team at Kennet District Council.

email : kennet@kennet.gov.uk

telephone : 01380 724911

Address :
Kennet District Council
Environmental Health Department
Browfort
Bath Road
Devizes
Wilts SN10 2AT

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