Module 9: Allergen emergencies and incident management — Under maintenance

[0:00] Welcome to lesson 9.1. Recognizing a
[0:02] possible allergic reaction.
[0:05] Managers and supervisors must make sure
[0:07] staff understand the warning signs of a
[0:09] possible allergic reaction. Food staff
[0:12] are not expected to diagnose a medical
[0:14] condition, but they must know when a
[0:16] customer may need urgent help. An
[0:18] allergic reaction can affect people in
[0:20] different ways.
[0:22] Symptoms may include itching, rash,
[0:24] swelling of the lips, face, tongue or
[0:27] throat, stomach pain, vomiting,
[0:29] diarrhoea, coughing, wheezing, dizziness,
[0:32] confusion, difficulty breathing or
[0:34] collapse. A severe allergic reaction is
[0:37] called anaphilaxis.
[0:39] This can affect the airway, breathing,
[0:41] and circulation, and it can become
[0:43] life-threatening very quickly. For
[0:46] example, if a customer says they have
[0:48] eaten something they may be allergic to,
[0:49] and then begin struggling to breathe,
[0:51] becomes faint, or has swelling around
[0:53] the mouth or throat, staff must treat
[0:55] the situation seriously.
[0:57] Managers should make sure staff know the
[0:59] emergency procedure, who to alert, where
[1:02] first aid support is available, and when
[1:04] emergency services must be called. Staff
[1:07] should never minimize symptoms, delay
[1:09] action, or assume the customer is
[1:11] overreacting.
[1:13] It is better to act quickly than to wait
[1:15] until the situation becomes worse. The
[1:18] key message is allergic reactions can be
[1:20] serious and fastm moving. Managers must
[1:23] train staff to recognise warning signs,
[1:26] take customers seriously, and respond
[1:28] immediately when a severe reaction may
[1:30] be happening. Welcome to lesson 9.2.
[1:33] What staff should do in an emergency. If
[1:36] a customer appears to be having a severe
[1:38] allergic reaction, staff must act
[1:40] quickly, calmly, and according to the
[1:42] business emergency procedure, the first
[1:45] priority is the customer's safety. Get
[1:48] help immediately and alert the manager
[1:50] or responsible person on shift. If
[1:53] anaphilaxis is suspected, call 999 and
[1:56] clearly say that you think the person is
[1:58] having an anaphylactic reaction. Give
[2:00] the location, explain what has happened,
[2:02] and follow the call handler's
[2:04] instructions.
[2:05] If the customer has an adrenaline auto
[2:07] injector such as an EpiPen, Jex or
[2:10] Emirate, they may use it themselves.
[2:13] If they cannot, staff should follow
[2:15] their workplace training, emergency
[2:17] guidance, and the instructions on the
[2:18] device where appropriate.
[2:21] The customer should not be left alone.
[2:23] Keep them calm, monitor their condition,
[2:25] and wait for emergency help to arrive.
[2:28] Do not offer food or drink unless
[2:30] emergency services advise it. Managers
[2:33] should make sure staff understand their
[2:35] roles during an emergency.
[2:38] One person may call 999, another may
[2:40] stay with the customer, another may
[2:42] bring first aid support, and another may
[2:44] preserve food, packaging, and records
[2:46] after the immediate emergency is
[2:48] controlled. The key message is in a
[2:51] suspected allergen emergency, act fast.
[2:54] Call 999 if a severe reaction is
[2:57] suspected, follow emergency
[2:59] instructions, stay with the customer,
[3:00] and do not delay action.
[3:03] Welcome to lesson 9.3. What managers
[3:05] should do after an allergen incident.
[3:08] After an allergen incident, managers
[3:10] must take control of the situation
[3:12] carefully and professionally. The first
[3:15] priority is always the customer's
[3:16] safety. Make sure emergency help has
[3:19] been called where needed, first aid
[3:21] arrangements are followed, and the
[3:23] customer is not left unsupported.
[3:25] Once the immediate emergency is being
[3:27] managed, the manager should prevent
[3:29] further risk.
[3:31] This may include stopping sale of the
[3:33] affected food, separating stock,
[3:35] stopping preparation of similar items,
[3:37] or pausing service for affected products
[3:39] until the cause is understood. Managers
[3:42] should preserve evidence.
[3:44] This may include the food packaging
[3:47] label, order ticket, receipt, delivery
[3:49] note, ingredient label, recipe, allergen
[3:52] matrix, PPDS label, staff rotor, and
[3:55] communication records.
[3:58] For example, if a customer reacts after
[4:00] eating a takeaway meal, the manager
[4:02] should not throw away the remaining food
[4:03] or packaging. These items may be needed
[4:06] to understand what went wrong. The
[4:09] incident should be recorded clearly.
[4:12] Include what happened, when it happened,
[4:14] what food was involved, what allergy was
[4:16] declared, what staff did, what emergency
[4:18] action was taken, and whether any food
[4:20] may still be on sale. Managers should
[4:23] also consider whether the local
[4:25] authority, supplier, head office or
[4:27] other responsible person needs to be
[4:29] informed. The key message is after an
[4:32] allergen incident, managers must protect
[4:34] the customer, control the food risk,
[4:36] preserve evidence, record the facts, and
[4:38] begin a proper investigation.
[4:41] Welcome to lesson 9.4. Preserving
[4:43] evidence and records. Preserving
[4:46] evidence after an allergen incident is
[4:48] important because the business needs to
[4:49] understand what happened and prevent it
[4:51] happening again. Evidence should be
[4:54] protected as soon as possible, but this
[4:56] must never delay emergency help for the
[4:58] customer.
[4:59] Useful evidence may include the
[5:01] remaining food, packaging labels,
[5:03] ingredient containers, batch codes,
[5:05] receipts, order tickets, online order
[5:08] notes, delivery records, allergen
[5:10] mattresses, recipe cards, supplier
[5:13] specifications, and staff communication
[5:15] records.
[5:16] For example, if the wrong PPDS label was
[5:19] placed on a sandwich, the manager should
[5:21] keep the product, the label, the label
[5:23] template, and any records showing who
[5:25] prepared and packed the item. If a
[5:28] customer reaction is linked to a
[5:29] takeaway order, the manager should
[5:31] preserve the order ticket, kitchen
[5:33] notes, packaging, delivery information,
[5:35] and any allergy notes provided by the
[5:37] customer. Records should be factual.
[5:41] Staff should write what happened, not
[5:43] what they think happened. Avoid blame,
[5:45] assumptions, or changing records after
[5:48] the event.
[5:49] Managers should also record immediate
[5:51] actions such as stopping sale,
[5:53] separating stock, contacting emergency
[5:55] services, informing senior management,
[5:58] or contacting the local authority where
[6:00] required. Evidence helps identify
[6:02] whether the issue came from ingredients,
[6:04] supplier changes, staff communication,
[6:07] cross contact, wrong labelling, wrong
[6:09] food being served, or poor procedures.
[6:13] The key message is good evidence helps
[6:15] managers find the truth. Preserve food,
[6:18] labels, records, and communication so
[6:20] the incident can be investigated
[6:22] properly. Welcome to lesson 9.5.
[6:25] Communicating with customers, staff, and
[6:28] authorities.
[6:29] After an allergen incident,
[6:31] communication must be calm, honest, and
[6:33] controlled.
[6:35] Managers should make sure the customer
[6:36] is treated with care and respect. If the
[6:40] customer is unwell, emergency action
[6:42] comes first.
[6:44] Staff should not argue, blame the
[6:46] customer or minimize the situation. The
[6:48] manager should explain that the incident
[6:50] is being taken seriously and that the
[6:52] business will investigate what happened.
[6:54] Only factual information should be
[6:56] given. Do not guess, speculate or make
[6:59] promises before the investigation is
[7:01] complete. Staff communication is also
[7:05] important. The team should be told what
[7:07] food, product, or process may be
[7:09] affected and what immediate controls are
[7:11] in place.
[7:13] For example, staff may need to stop
[7:15] selling a product, stop using a supplier
[7:17] item, remove affected PPDS food from
[7:20] display, or direct all allergen
[7:22] questions to a manager. If the issue may
[7:25] involve unsafe food, undeclared
[7:27] allergens, a recall, hospital treatment,
[7:29] or a serious complaint, the business may
[7:31] need to contact the local authority or
[7:33] follow its incident reporting procedure.
[7:36] For example, if a product contains an
[7:38] undeclared allergen and has already been
[7:40] sold, the manager may need to escalate
[7:42] quickly because customers could still be
[7:44] at risk. Communication with suppliers
[7:47] may also be needed if the issue relates
[7:49] to ingredient information,
[7:50] substitutions, batch codes, or product
[7:53] specifications.
[7:55] The key message is after an allergen
[7:57] incident, communicate clearly and
[7:58] honestly, support the customer, brief
[8:01] staff, escalate serious risks, and
[8:03] involve the correct authorities when
[8:05] required.
[8:07] Welcome to lesson 9.6, investigating the
[8:09] root cause. Root cause investigation
[8:12] means finding out why an allergen
[8:14] incident happened, not just who was
[8:16] involved. At level three, managers must
[8:19] look beyond the surface mistake. A staff
[8:22] member may have served the wrong food.
[8:24] But the real cause may be unclear
[8:26] tickets, poor training, similar
[8:28] packaging, outdated allergen records,
[8:30] rushed service, supplier substitutions,
[8:32] or weak final checks. For example, if a
[8:36] customer with a milk allergy is served
[8:38] food containing cheese, the
[8:39] investigation should ask several
[8:41] questions. Was the allergy request
[8:44] recorded clearly? Was it passed to the
[8:46] kitchen? Did the kitchen understand it?
[8:50] Were ingredients checked? Was cross
[8:53] contact considered? Was the final meal
[8:56] checked before service? Managers should
[8:58] also review documents and evidence. This
[9:02] may include recipes, labels, supplier
[9:04] specifications, training records, order
[9:07] notes, CCTV where available, staff
[9:10] statements, and incident logs. The aim
[9:13] is not to blame one person quickly. The
[9:16] aim is to understand how the system
[9:17] allowed the mistake to happen. A useful
[9:20] method is to keep asking why. Why was
[9:23] the wrong ingredient used? Why was it
[9:26] available? Why was the label unclear?
[9:30] Why did staff not stop and check? Once
[9:33] the root cause is understood, managers
[9:35] can decide the correct action. This may
[9:38] include retraining staff, changing
[9:40] labels, improving order tickets,
[9:42] updating allergen records, or changing
[9:44] preparation controls.
[9:47] The key message is root cause
[9:48] investigation prevents repeat incidents.
[9:52] Managers must find the real cause, not
[9:54] just the easiest explanation.
[9:57] Welcome to lesson 9.7. Preventing the
[9:59] same incident happening again. After an
[10:02] allergen incident or near miss, the most
[10:04] important management task is preventing
[10:06] it from happening again. This means
[10:09] turning the investigation findings into
[10:11] real improvements.
[10:13] If the cause was poor communication, the
[10:15] business may need clearer allergy order
[10:17] tickets, manager confirmation, or a
[10:19] final handover check. If the cause was
[10:22] outdated allergen information, the
[10:24] business may need stronger version
[10:26] control, supplier checks, and menu
[10:28] review records. If the cause was cross
[10:31] contact, the business may need separate
[10:33] utensils, better cleaning controls,
[10:35] safer storage, revised preparation
[10:37] methods, or more honest customer
[10:39] information. If the cause was staff
[10:41] behavior, the business may need
[10:43] retraining, supervision, competency
[10:45] checks, or clearer instructions.
[10:48] For example, if several near misses
[10:50] happen because takeaway allergy notes
[10:52] are missed, the solution may be to
[10:54] redesign order tickets so allergy notes
[10:56] appear clearly, train staff to check
[10:58] them, and require supervisor approval
[11:00] before allergen orders are packed.
[11:03] Managers should record what corrective
[11:04] action was taken and check that the new
[11:06] control works in practice. A change is
[11:09] only useful if staff understand it and
[11:11] follow it during real service. Learning
[11:14] should also be shared with the team.
[11:17] Staff need to understand what changed
[11:19] and why. The key message is an allergen
[11:22] incident should lead to improvement.
[11:24] Managers must correct the cause, update
[11:27] the system, train staff, and monitor the
[11:29] new control so the same mistake is not
[11:31] repeated.