Heat Exhaustion and its prevention

Heat Exhaustion usually occurs in a hot climate or a heat wave and it is one of the heat-related conditions. The symptoms range in severity from mild heat cramps to heat exhaustion to potentially life-threatening heatstroke. Heat exhaustion can begin suddenly, usually after working in the heat, sweating heavily or being dehydrated.

Heat exhaustion signs and symptoms include:

·          Dizziness

·         Nausea or vomiting

·         Heavy sweating often accompanied by cold, 

      moist skin

·         Weak, fast pulse

·         Pale face

·         Muscle cramps

·         Headache

·         Weakness or fatigue

An untreated, heat exhaustion might lead to heatstroke, which is a life-threatening condition.

The basic first aid measures to be taken when there are signs of heat exhaustion

·    Move the person out of the heat and make him lie down in a shady place or in air conditioned room.

·         Lay the person down and elevate the legs and feet slightly.

·         Remove tight or heavy clothing.

·         Get the person drink to drink fluids like cool water or fruit juice.

·         Cool the person by sponging him with cool water and fanning.

·         Continue to monitor the person until he feels better.

·         If the condition worsens it is always better to call emergency services.

How to prevent Heat Exhaustion:

·         It can be prevented by taking precautions when it’s very hot.

·         Check for weather warnings for the potential heat dangers

·         If going out is inevitable, try to walk in shade

·         Wear light and loose fitting clothes

·         Keep yourself hydrated by drinking more fluids (water, fruit juices)

·         Take adequate rest whenever necessary

     

Maintaining Food Safety on Outdoor Catering

Whenever there is a business event, social affair or and kind of gatherings, caterer or a restaurant is consulted for the food requirement. It has become a challenge to concentrate on all aspects (i.e., from production to service) of handling food properly.   

It is a risk to food safety from the way the food is handled and transported to the location of service. If the staff is trained properly on food handling and knows the tips to keep food safe from contamination, the risk can be averted.

Here are few tips to help handle food safety at per the food safety standards at various events:

Safe food preparation practices:

As per the food preparation temperature requirements, the food should be prepared at the recommended temperatures to get rid of possible contaminants. During the food transit process appropriate insulated food carriers should be used separately for hot and cold foods in order to retain the desired temperature. The hot food should be kept above 63°C and the cold food below 5°C for proper food safety.

Extra Protection for the outdoor events:

Cover the food displayed to protect it from the possible hazards like flies, wind, pests etc. make use of sanitizer buckets to keep the clothes that are used for wiping the area clean to prevent cross contamination.

Use clean dishes:

Use clean dishes every time you require one for the preparation or for service. Set up hand washing stations to wash the dishes before use, if required. The wash area should be kept clean and dry during the preparation and service to prevent injuries.

These simple steps helps in proper handling of food and also do a better service at the outdoor events.

Food Safety – Chemical Hazards

In today’s world the quality and safety of food is given much importance, as food borne illness has become a major issue faced by people globally. The food hazards may occur mainly due to presence of biological, chemical or physical objects in the food.

The immediate identification and evaluation of these hazards allows focusing on the problem areas effectively and getting a solution to control these hazards.

What are the possible chemical Hazards that can occur in food production:

The presence of a chemical in the food may not always be a hazard. The amount of the chemical used in food production determines whether it is hazardous or not. If chemicals used as per the requirement, the hazard can be averted.

The chemical hazards are categorized into three categories:

Naturally Occurring Chemicals:

 These chemicals are derived from plants or animals. Though they are biological in origin, they are categorized as chemical hazard.

For Example: Mycotoxin (e.g.,aflatoxin), Scombrotoxin, Ciguatoxin and Shellfish toxins

 

Intentionally added Chemicals:

Chemicals added intentionally in food production, which are safe and used as per the required levels, but can be dangerous if used in excess.

For Example: Food Additives: Direct, Preservatives (e.g., nitrite and sulfating agents), Nutritional additives (e.g., niacin), Color additives

Unintentional or incidentally added Chemicals:

Chemicals become part of a food sometimes without being intentionally added. They might be already a food ingredient when received. Packaging material or the product itself can be a source of incidental chemicals, such as sanitizers or ink. 

 For Example: Toxic elements and compounds (e.g., lead, zinc, arsenic, mercury, cyanide), Secondary direct and indirect, Plant chemicals (e.g., lubricants, cleaning compounds, sanitizers, paint)

Employee Performance Evaluation

Performance Evaluation is a significant method to assess employee performance and a key aspect for an organization’s success. Planning, setting measurable goals and performance standards makes the evaluation process easy.

Here are a few steps for evaluating employee performance:

Clear understanding of the employee job objectives:

The evaluator should be well versed with the employee objectives, skill sets and the knowledge requirements before evaluating the employee. The employee should also clearly understand his/her objectives, and the performance measures that are associated with those responsibilities. Unclear understanding of these objectives leads to unfair appraisals.

Goals and Performance criteria:

The goals assigned to the employee should be realistic and measurable. The employee should understand the objectives performance criteria for each goal set and how it is measured and how they can be successful in achieving the set objectives.

Resources and Training:

An employee should be provided with the required resources and necessary training on the procedures, material and equipment to perform the set objectives.

Feedback:

Periodic feedback on the employee performance should be given to the employee, in order to improve on the performance in case the performance deteriorates.

Factual review:

Facts Vs Personal opinion should be evaluated during the review.  Performance against the set objective criteria should be used with specific examples to back up the facts. The areas of growth and professional development should be addressed. If required ask the employee to clarify responses. An equal opportunity to the employee to share his/her thoughts about their performance should be given. An agreement should be made by the employee on the efforts he/she makes to improve the performance. The review outcome should be clear on the future performance and the plan of action for improving the areas of less performance.

Hazards from Ladder and its Preventions

Falls from heights are a major work place hazard resulting in serious and fatal injuries. These hazards can be eliminated or significantly reduced by proper planning the fall protection and by providing necessary supervision.

Below are the hazards associated with ladders:

            ·         Falls from ladders

            ·         Struck by falling ladders

            ·         Struck by materials falling from ladders

            ·         Tripping over ladders (erect or lying on floor)  

            ·         Lifting heavy ladders 

            ·         Striking persons or objects when carrying ladders  

            ·          Contact with electrical equipment

   

     How to prevent from Ladder Hazards

          ·         Use the right ladder for the right job

          ·         Inspect the ladder before and after use

          ·         Get help when moving heavy or long ladders

          ·         Ensure that portable ladders of all types are placed on a 

                 stable surface

         ·         When climbing make sure your shoes/boots are clear of mud 

                 and grease

         ·         Protect base of ladder from accidental contact with traffic (human or vehicle) by securing it                  with hazard tape or warning signs and or having someone present at the base

         ·         Face the ladder when ascending or descending – maintain 3 point contact

         ·         Hoist materials or attach them to a belt – do not carry materials in your hands

         ·         Make sure that only one person at a time is on the ladder

         ·         Never stand any higher than on the third rung from the top of a step ladder

         ·         Ensure that always use a fiberglass ladder rather than metal ladder around power lines

  Follow simple steps to prevent falls from heights. 

  

Efficient time management skills:

Are we able to complete the work within the stipulated time? Are we able to successfully accomplish the given target?

If we learn and maintain good time management skills, it would be freedom from deadline pressures, stress, delay in being more productive and work postponement will be lessened.

Follow these simple steps for good time management skills:

Create a list: If we are not prioritizing our tasks we will jump from one work to the other without completing one work. That way we lag in completing the work and by the end of the day no work will be completed fully and will be carried for the next day. List down all the works do be done as per the priority and complete one task at a time.

Schedule your work: if a scheduled task for the day takes half an hour, allocate one hour for completion that way you can have control on your time and as per the timelines you can schedule your tasks for the day. This will help you to monitor your work and enables you to complete the tasks within the scheduled time.

Be Focused: save from distractions like emails, social media, calls etc. One tends to do multitasking but it leads to procrastination of work. In order to complete the task effectively within the scheduled time, more focus is essential.

Tracking Time: If a task is scheduled, the time spent on completing the task should be tracked in order to gauge the problem of non-completion of the work within the time. A strategic solution like what can be simplified or eliminated to complete the task should be looked at and resolve the issue.

These simple steps will help eliminate the hurdles in completing the tasks within the time scheduled.

JIC Wins European Award for best Practices - 2016

Al Jazeera International Catering was awarded the most prestigious European Award for best Practices – 2016.  This award was presented as recognition for JIC’s best practices, adherence to the excellence program and the commitment towards sustainability and stakeholder engagement. 

Mr. Robby Thommy, Managing Director, Al Jazeera International Catering LLC received this award.

The European Society for Quality Research (ESQR) recognizes and highlights outstanding business results, best practices, quality awareness and achievements by companies in regional and global markets. Through its recognition programs and awards, ESQR makes quality a top priority for the recognized organizations, regardless of their sector, size and location.

The award was presented at a splendid Ceremony held at Le Plaza Hotel, Brussels (Belgium) on Saturday, June 4, 2016. Around 75 companies from 63 countries participated in this grand event.

Receiving the award, Mr. Robby Thommy, Managing Director, Al Jazeera International Catering, thanked the organizers for evaluating and recognizing its commitment towards sustainability and stakeholder’s engagement. He also thanked the employees of JIC for their passion and dedication towards excellence and sustainability and said this award is a clear recognition for the commitment and attitude they possess towards the journey of excellence. 

Article published in Ash-Asharq Urdu Newspaper on 08/06/2016

CONGRATULATIONS !!!!

Good Culinary Practices

Understanding the food safety behavior through simple every day practices helps in making a substantial difference in reducing the food borne illness incidents.

The good culinary practice is a system that ensures the products are consistently produced in a controlled manner adhering to the good quality standards. These are the minimum requirements that a caterer must meet to assure that the products are of good quality and do not pose any threat to the consumer or public.

These practices provide adequate hands on experience on the best practices one has to adopt to provide good and hygienic food to the customers which is safe for human consumption. 

Few basic guidelines to follow:

·         The production and storage area should be maintained under hygienic condition

·         Controlled environmental conditions in order to prevent cross contamination of food
 products that may render the product to unsafe condition for human consumption

·         Operational process and procedures should be clearly defined and implemented. All the
 critical areas should be validated for the consistency of the process

·         All the operational process to be controlled and any changes in the process to be
 evaluated

·         Changes that affects the quality of the product to be validated as necessary as per the
 HACCP guidelines

·         Proper training to be provided to all the employees

·         Records are made, manually during the production which demonstrates all the steps  

      that were followed as per the processes and procedures and the required quality and
quantity of the product is met. Deviations in any of the process or procedures should be
investigated and documented.

Good Culinary Practices should covers all aspects of production from the receipt of materials, premises and equipment to the training and personal hygiene of staff. Detailed, written procedures are essential for each process that could affect the quality of the final product. There must be systems to provide documented proof that correct procedures are consistently followed at each step in the production process every time a product is made.