Exploding Tandoori Ovens on the Increase

Exploding Tandoori Ovens on the Increase

Environmental Health bosses have launched a crackdown on Indian restaurants following a number of injuries suffered from exploding tandoori ovens.

Tandoor ovens are used to cook meat dishes, such as chicken tikka, and breads like nan. According to the BBC, Birmingham City Council officers found that many had not been maintained or installed properly.

Only a few had working ignitions and employees routinely had to light ovens using burning serviettes. Furthermore, a check of 27 restaurants discovered only two used a qualified engineer to check their oven. Some ovens even appear to have been home made.

One was found to have been installed by the chef and never maintained.

In November 2008, an employee suffered serious burns to his hands, face and eyes after a build up of flammable gas in an oven led to an explosion.

Chair of the Public Protection Committee, Councillor Neil Eustace, said:

“The results of our inspection were shocking. The cylindrical design of the tandoor with an ignition source at the bottom, means that when gas builds up inside and an employee leans in to light it, the oven effectively becomes like a cannon.”

Taking such liberties with equipment which is essential to the day to day running of a restaurant shows a complete lack of respect for employees and certainly endangers their wellbeing. Under the Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations (or PUWER) there is a requirement to ensure that equipment provided for use at work is not only suitable for the intended use but also that it is safe for use, maintained in a safe condition and, in certain circumstances, inspected to ensure that this remains the case. It seems clear a number of the restaurants inspected fell short of this standard and risk the health of their employees by failing to maintain the ovens.