Module 7: Allergen emergencies and incident reporting — Under maintenance

[0:00] Welcome to lesson 7.1, recognizing a
[0:02] possible allergic reaction.
[0:05] Food handlers are not expected to
[0:06] diagnose medical conditions, but they
[0:08] should understand the warning signs of a
[0:10] possible allergic reaction.
[0:13] An allergic reaction can affect people
[0:15] in different ways.
[0:17] Symptoms may include itching, rash,
[0:19] swelling of the lips, face, tongue or
[0:21] throat, stomach pain, vomiting,
[0:24] diarrhea, coughing, wheezing, dizziness,
[0:27] confusion, difficulty breathing or
[0:29] collapse.
[0:31] A severe allergic reaction is called
[0:33] anaphylaxis.
[0:34] This can be life-threatening and may
[0:36] develop quickly.
[0:38] It can affect the airway, breathing or
[0:40] circulation, so it must always be
[0:42] treated as an emergency.
[0:44] For example, if a customer says they
[0:46] have eaten something they are allergic
[0:48] to and then start struggling to breathe,
[0:50] becomes faint or has swelling around the
[0:52] mouth or throat, staff must act
[0:53] immediately.
[0:55] It is not the role of food staff to
[0:57] decide whether the reaction is serious
[0:59] enough.
[1:00] If anaphylaxis is suspected, follow the
[1:02] emergency procedure and call 999.
[1:06] Staff should stay calm, get help and
[1:08] make sure the customer is not left
[1:09] alone.
[1:11] If the customer has an adrenaline
[1:12] auto-injector and needs help, follow
[1:14] emergency guidance and the customer's
[1:16] instructions where appropriate.
[1:19] The key message is allergic reactions
[1:21] can become serious very quickly.
[1:23] Recognize the warning signs, take the
[1:26] customer seriously and get emergency
[1:28] help if a severe reaction is suspected.
[1:31] Welcome to lesson 7.2, what staff should
[1:34] do in an emergency.
[1:36] If a customer appears to be having a
[1:37] severe allergic reaction, staff must act
[1:40] quickly and calmly.
[1:42] The first step is to follow the business
[1:43] emergency procedure.
[1:45] Get a manager or responsible person
[1:47] immediately, but do not delay calling
[1:49] emergency help if the situation appears
[1:52] serious.
[1:53] If anaphylaxis is suspected, call 999
[1:56] and clearly say that you think the
[1:58] person is having an anaphylactic
[1:59] reaction.
[2:01] Give the location, explain what has
[2:03] happened, and follow the call handler's
[2:04] instructions.
[2:06] If the customer has an adrenaline
[2:08] auto-injector, such as an EpiPen, Jext,
[2:10] or Emerade, they may use it themselves.
[2:14] If they cannot, staff should follow
[2:15] emergency guidance, workplace training,
[2:18] and the instructions on the device where
[2:19] appropriate.
[2:21] The customer should not be left alone.
[2:24] Keep them as calm as possible and
[2:26] monitor their condition until emergency
[2:27] help arrives.
[2:29] Do not offer food or drink unless
[2:31] emergency services advise it.
[2:34] Staff should also preserve important
[2:36] information.
[2:37] Keep the food, packaging, label,
[2:39] receipt, order ticket, ingredient
[2:41] information, and any delivery or
[2:43] preparation records.
[2:45] These may be needed later to understand
[2:47] what happened.
[2:49] For example, if a customer reacts after
[2:51] eating a takeaway meal, do not throw
[2:53] away the remaining food or packaging.
[2:56] Separate it safely and inform the
[2:57] manager.
[2:59] The key message is in an allergen
[3:01] emergency, act fast, call 999 if a
[3:04] severe reaction is suspected, stay with
[3:06] the customer, follow instructions, and
[3:08] preserve evidence for investigation.
[3:11] Welcome to lesson 7.3, what to do if the
[3:14] wrong food is prepared.
[3:16] If the wrong food is prepared for a
[3:18] customer with an allergy, staff must
[3:19] stop and take it seriously.
[3:22] Do not try to fix the food by removing
[3:24] the allergen.
[3:26] For example, if cheese is accidentally
[3:28] added to a dairy-free order, it is not
[3:30] safe to simply take the cheese off.
[3:33] Milk may already have touched the bread,
[3:35] filling, utensils, gloves, or packaging.
[3:39] The order should be stopped and
[3:40] reported.
[3:41] The same applies if the wrong sauce,
[3:43] topping, garnish, bread, fryer, utensil,
[3:46] or preparation surface has been used.
[3:49] Once allergen cross-contact may have
[3:51] happened, the food should not be served
[3:53] as suitable for the allergic customer.
[3:56] The correct action is to tell the
[3:57] responsible person, dispose of or
[3:59] separate the affected food according to
[4:01] the business procedure, clean down if
[4:03] needed, and remake the order safely from
[4:05] the beginning if possible.
[4:07] Staff should also check why the mistake
[4:09] happened.
[4:11] Was the order unclear?
[4:13] Was the allergen note missed?
[4:15] Was the wrong ingredient stored in the
[4:17] wrong place?
[4:19] Was the allergen matrix out of date?
[4:21] Was the kitchen too rushed?
[4:24] For example, if a nut-free dessert is
[4:26] prepared using a spoon that was
[4:27] previously used for nut topping, the
[4:29] dessert should not be served to the
[4:31] allergic customer.
[4:32] The key message is, if the wrong food is
[4:34] prepared, stop it before it reaches the
[4:36] customer.
[4:38] Do not scrape, pick off, hide, or guess.
[4:42] Report it and remake the order safely if
[4:44] possible.
[4:45] Welcome to lesson 7.4, what to do if the
[4:48] wrong food is served.
[4:50] If the wrong food is served to a
[4:52] customer with an allergy, staff must act
[4:54] immediately.
[4:55] First, tell the manager or responsible
[4:58] person straight away.
[5:00] If the customer has not started eating,
[5:02] stop them from eating the food and
[5:03] explain clearly that there may have been
[5:05] an error.
[5:06] If the customer has already eaten some
[5:08] of the food, ask whether they feel
[5:10] unwell and follow the emergency
[5:11] procedure.
[5:13] If they show signs of a severe allergic
[5:15] reaction, call 999 immediately and say
[5:18] that an anaphylactic reaction may be
[5:20] happening.
[5:21] Do not argue, blame the customer, or
[5:23] minimize the situation.
[5:26] The focus must be customer safety.
[5:29] The food, packaging, label, receipt,
[5:31] order ticket, and ingredient information
[5:33] should be kept for investigation.
[5:35] Do not throw away evidence.
[5:38] The business will need to understand
[5:39] what happened and how to prevent it
[5:41] happening again.
[5:43] For example, if a takeaway order with a
[5:45] nut allergy note is accidentally packed
[5:47] with the wrong dessert, staff should
[5:48] contact the customer immediately if the
[5:50] error is discovered after dispatch.
[5:52] Follow the business procedure and
[5:54] escalate to management.
[5:56] The incident should also be recorded.
[5:59] This helps the business identify the
[6:00] cause, such as poor communication,
[6:03] unclear labels, similar packaging,
[6:05] rushed service, or staff not following
[6:07] the allergen procedure.
[6:09] The key message is if the wrong food is
[6:11] served, act quickly, protect the
[6:13] customer, get emergency help if needed,
[6:15] preserve evidence, and report the
[6:17] incident honestly.
[6:19] Welcome to lesson 7.5, reporting
[6:21] allergen incidents and near misses.
[6:24] Allergen incidents and near misses must
[6:26] be reported because they show where the
[6:27] allergen system may have failed.
[6:30] An allergen incident is when something
[6:32] goes wrong and a customer may be put at
[6:34] risk.
[6:35] This could include the wrong allergen
[6:37] information being given, the wrong food
[6:39] being served, a PPDS label being
[6:41] incorrect, or cross-contact affecting a
[6:43] customer's order.
[6:45] A near miss is when the mistake is
[6:46] caught before harm happens.
[6:49] For example, the kitchen notices that
[6:51] cheese was added to a dairy-free order
[6:53] before the food is served.
[6:55] The customer was protected, but the
[6:57] mistake still needs reporting.
[7:00] Near misses are important because they
[7:01] give the business a chance to fix
[7:02] problems before someone is harmed.
[7:05] When reporting, include clear details.
[7:09] What was ordered?
[7:11] What allergy was declared?
[7:13] What food was prepared or served?
[7:16] Who was involved?
[7:17] What ingredient or process caused the
[7:19] problem?
[7:21] What action was taken?
[7:23] Was the customer affected?
[7:25] For example, if a server nearly gives a
[7:27] sesame-containing burger bun to a
[7:29] customer with a sesame allergy, this
[7:31] should be recorded even if the mistake
[7:32] is caught in time.
[7:34] Managers can then look for patterns.
[7:37] Are staff missing allergy notes?
[7:39] Are Are unclear?
[7:41] Are similar-looking products stored
[7:43] together?
[7:44] Is the allergen matrix outdated?
[7:47] The key message is reporting is not
[7:49] about blaming people.
[7:51] It is about learning, improving the
[7:53] system, and preventing a serious
[7:55] allergen incident in the future.
[7:57] Welcome to lesson 7.6 learning from
[8:00] allergen mistakes.
[8:02] Allergen mistakes should never be
[8:03] ignored.
[8:05] Even if nobody is harmed, the business
[8:07] must learn from what happened.
[8:09] Learning from mistakes means looking
[8:11] beyond the person who made the error.
[8:13] A good investigation asks why the
[8:15] mistake was possible in the first place.
[8:18] For example, if the wrong meal was
[8:20] served to an allergic customer, the
[8:21] cause may not simply be staff error.
[8:24] The real cause may include unclear order
[8:26] tickets, poor communication between
[8:29] front of house and kitchen, similar
[8:30] packaging, missing labels, weak
[8:32] training, rushed service, or an outdated
[8:35] allergen matrix.
[8:37] Once the cause is understood, the
[8:38] business should take corrective action.
[8:41] This may include updating allergen
[8:43] records, retraining staff, changing
[8:45] storage arrangements, improving labels,
[8:48] separating equipment, changing the order
[8:50] process, or introducing a final check
[8:52] before serving allergen orders.
[8:55] Staff should also feel able to speak up.
[8:58] If workers are scared to report
[9:00] mistakes, problems may stay hidden until
[9:02] a customer is harmed.
[9:04] For example, if several near misses
[9:06] happen with dairy-free drinks, the
[9:08] business may need clearer cup labels,
[9:10] separate milk jugs, better barista
[9:12] training, and a final customer
[9:13] confirmation step.
[9:15] The key message is allergen safety
[9:17] improves when mistakes are reported,
[9:19] investigated, and corrected.
[9:22] Do not hide errors.
[9:24] Learn from them, improve the system, and
[9:26] protect the next customer.