Hazardous Substances in Hospitality

Degreasers in Commercial Kitchens: COSHH Hazards and Controls

Handling Heavy-Duty Degreasers and Canopy Cleaners Safely

Degreasers do the heaviest cleaning in a kitchen: cutting through the baked grease on extraction canopies, filters, fryers, walls, and floors. To shift that grease they are usually strongly alkaline, sometimes with solvents added, which makes the heavy-duty versions corrosive or harmful and the fumes an irritant. The highest-risk job is degreasing the extraction canopy, often sprayed overhead so the chemical runs down onto the operator, sometimes while the surface is still warm. Degreasing is also a job that gets contracted out or done late at night, both of which can leave the controls vague. This article covers the hazards of degreasers, how they are used in hospitality, and the controls and personal protective equipment that should accompany them.

Key takeaways

Heavy-duty degreasers are usually strongly alkaline, sometimes with solvents, making them corrosive or harmful with irritant fumes.

Canopy and filter cleaning is the highest-risk degreasing task because the chemical runs down towards the operator overhead.

Separate a milder everyday degreaser from the heavy-duty product used for periodic deep cleans.

Heavy degreasing needs gauntlet gloves, goggles or a face shield, an apron, and safe access equipment.

If a contractor cleans the canopy, check their COSHH assessment and method statement.

What Makes Degreasers Hazardous

Heavy-duty degreasers are built around strong alkalis, often caustic soda or potassium hydroxide, sometimes combined with solvents and surfactants to lift and emulsify grease. On the label this shows as the corrosion or exclamation-mark pictogram, with hazard statements covering skin and eye damage and, for solvent-containing products, harmful vapours. Lighter general-purpose degreasers used for daily wiping are milder, usually irritants, while the dedicated canopy and filter degreasers are at the aggressive end. The combination of alkali and solvent means two hazards at once: a corrosive liquid that burns on contact and a vapour that irritates the airways in an enclosed space. Because grease is everywhere in a kitchen, degreasers get used widely and sometimes neat, so it is worth separating the everyday product, which can be milder and diluted, from the heavy-duty product reserved for periodic deep cleans.

Canopy and Filter Cleaning: The Highest Risk

Cleaning the extraction canopy and filters is where degreasing gets dangerous. The operator sprays or brushes strong degreaser onto a surface above head height, so the chemical and the dissolved grease run back down the arms and towards the face. The work is often done on steps or a ladder, adding a fall risk, and sometimes while the canopy is still warm from service, which raises the fumes. Filters may be soaked in a hot degreaser tank, where splashing and steam carry the chemical into the air. The grease deposits in canopy ductwork are also a serious fire risk in their own right, which is why deep cleaning is needed, but the cleaning itself must not create a chemical injury. Specialist contractors often do this work, in which case their COSHH assessment and method statement should be checked, because their chemicals and your staff share the same kitchen.

Controls and PPE for Degreasing

Separate your everyday degreaser from your heavy-duty one and assess each for its real use. For daily cleaning, a diluted milder product with gloves is usually enough. For canopy and filter deep cleans, treat the task as high risk: use the correct dilution, keep ventilation running, let surfaces cool, and avoid spraying overhead towards the face where you can brush or wipe instead. Personal protective equipment for heavy degreasing should include chemical-resistant gauntlet gloves covering the forearm, goggles or a face shield against overhead splash, and a waterproof apron, with safe access equipment to remove the fall risk. Provide eyewash and make sure staff know the first aid for alkali contact. If a contractor does the canopy clean, obtain their COSHH assessment and method statement and make sure their work does not expose your staff. Label any decanted degreaser and keep the safety data sheet where the cleaning is done.

What to do next

Split everyday and heavy-duty degreasing into separate tasks

Use a milder diluted product for daily wiping and reserve the strong product for canopy and filter deep cleans, assessing each separately.

Avoid spraying degreaser overhead towards the face

Brush or wipe canopy surfaces where possible, keep ventilation on, let surfaces cool, and use safe access equipment to remove the fall risk.

Check contractor COSHH documents for canopy cleaning

Obtain the method statement and COSHH assessment from any contractor cleaning your extraction system and make sure their chemicals do not expose your staff.

Common mistakes to avoid

Mistake

Using the heavy-duty degreaser neat for everyday wiping

Instead

Daily cleaning needs only a diluted milder product. Reserve the strong degreaser for deep cleans and dilute it as the label directs.

Mistake

Spraying canopy degreaser overhead with no eye protection

Instead

Overhead spraying runs chemical down towards the face. Wear goggles or a face shield, brush rather than spray where you can, and use safe access equipment.

Frequently asked questions

Why are kitchen degreasers so strong?

Baked-on grease needs a strong alkali, often caustic soda, sometimes with solvents, to break down and lift it. That strength makes the heavy-duty products corrosive to skin and eyes and gives off irritant fumes.

Is cleaning the extraction canopy a COSHH job?

Yes, and it is one of the higher-risk ones, because strong degreaser is applied overhead and runs down towards the operator. It also has a fall risk and a fire-safety angle, so it should be assessed carefully.

What PPE do I need for degreasing a canopy?

Chemical-resistant gauntlet gloves covering the forearm, goggles or a face shield against overhead splash, a waterproof apron, and safe access equipment. The product safety data sheet confirms the chemical protection needed.

Who is responsible for COSHH if a contractor cleans the canopy?

The contractor must assess their own chemicals and methods, but you remain responsible for your staff and premises. Obtain their COSHH assessment and method statement and make sure their work does not expose your team.

Hazardous Substances in Hospitality