The 20 things an environmental health officer or fire officer will actually ask about. Print it, walk your premises, and see where you stand — free, no email required.
This checklist is drawn from the statutory duties that apply to cafés, coffee shops and small food businesses in England & Wales. Every item lists the legal driver — and where an item reflects a recognised standard or accepted practice rather than the letter of the law, it says so. Tick what you can evidence on paper: if you can't show the document or record, an inspector treats it as not done.
Registered with your local authority at least 28 days before opening — it's free, and trading unregistered is an offence. Assimilated Reg. (EC) 852/2004, art. 6 / Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013
Current certificate displayed or accessible if you employ anyone — including casual weekend staff. Employers' Liability (Compulsory Insurance) Act 1969
Legally required in writing once you reach 5 employees; smaller cafés still need a policy, just not on paper. Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, s.2(3)
Displayed where staff can read it, or the equivalent leaflet given to each employee. Health and Safety Information for Employees Regulations 1989
A HACCP-based system is the legal duty; for most cafés the FSA's Safer Food, Better Business pack is the accepted way to meet it — filled in, current, and matching what you actually serve. Assimilated Reg. (EC) 852/2004, art. 5
Chilled food held at 8°C or below — the legal maximum in England (5°C is the recommended target). Daily written logs aren't a standalone legal duty, but they're how you evidence your food safety system is working. Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, Sch. 4
Hot food held at 63°C or above (the legal minimum); cooking and cool-down checks recorded as part of your HACCP-based system — the records are your evidence, not a separate legal duty. Food Safety and Hygiene (England) Regulations 2013, Sch. 4
The 14 allergens identified for every menu item, and full ingredient labelling on anything prepacked for direct sale. Food Information Regulations 2014 (as amended)
The legal duty is supervision, instruction and/or training appropriate to the work. Level 2 food hygiene isn't named in law, but it's the recognised industry standard — and what EHOs expect to see on file. Assimilated Reg. (EC) 852/2004, Annex II, Ch. XII
Hygiene and pest control are the legal duties; the written schedule and pest-check records are how you evidence them — and among the first things an EHO asks to see. Assimilated Reg. (EC) 852/2004, Annex II
A full written record is now required for virtually all premises, reviewed whenever there's reason to think it's no longer valid — a refit, new cooking kit, an incident. An annual review is good practice rather than a statutory interval. Fire Safety Order 2005, art. 9 (as amended by the Building Safety Act 2022)
Suitable extinguishers are the legal duty; 12-monthly servicing is the British Standard that fire officers and insurers expect. If you deep-fat fry you need wet chemical cover, not just CO₂ and foam. RRFSO 2005 art. 13 / BS 5306-3 (standard)
Weekly testing and a log are British Standard practice rather than words in the Fire Safety Order — but an alarm with no test record is a finding waiting to happen. RRFSO 2005 art. 11 / BS 5839-1 (standard)
Annual inspection of catering gas appliances by a Gas Safe engineer registered for commercial catering. Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998
Grease build-up is a serious fire risk — reducing it is the legal duty, and TR19 Grease is the industry benchmark insurers and fire officers measure you against. Keep the cleaning records. RRFSO 2005 / TR19 Grease (guidance)
Inspected at intervals based on risk and the last report's recommendation — 5 years is the usual commercial interval, not a statutory one. Often held by the landlord; get a copy. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989 / BS 7671
The legal duty is safe maintenance — "PAT testing" itself isn't named in law. User checks, visual inspection and risk-based testing of the coffee machine, grinders, fridges and tills, with a record. Electricity at Work Regulations 1989
Oven cleaner (caustic), descaler, sanitiser, glass-wash chemicals — assessed by product and kept under review: revisit when products or processes change (an annual check is good practice, not a statutory interval). COSHH Regulations 2002, reg 6
Written assessment, stocked kit including burns dressings, named appointed person on every shift. Health and Safety (First-Aid) Regulations 1981
GDPR-compliant accident records; know which incidents must be reported — scalds and slips are the classics. RIDDOR 2013
Most small food businesses have a handful of open items on a list like this — usually the written records rather than the practice itself. AB SiteSafe produces the paperwork behind every box above: COSHH assessments, risk assessments and H&S policies written around your actual kitchen — from £75, 48-hour turnaround, and a real consultant you can phone.
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