Recent reports of accidents involving tandoori ovens used in curry houses have the Birmingham City Council concerned. The Council has decided to start an inspection drive and take action against restaurants and takeaways using tandoors if they are found unsuitable.

In response to the reports of these accidents, the Environmental Health department of the Birmingham City Council launched an inspection drive, initially covering twenty-seven such curry houses, all over the city. The inspection officers scrutinized the tandoors and examined the maintenance records. The two ovens which caused the accidents were appropriated and sent for further examination. Both the ovens in question were found flawed.

The officers discovered that even though one of the defective ovens had been set up and maintained by an engineer, the engineer was not an expert in installing catering appliances, as is required. Another oven, one that was being used at a place called Chandni Chowk Restaurants and Sweets, situated in Handsworth was found to have flouted all rules. First, it had been installed by a chef rather than an engineer and then, after installation, it had never undergone periodic maintenance checks. This oven caused serious burn injuries to the worker, scorching his hands and face when it exploded while being lit. The owners, who pleaded guilty, were fined £3,500 by the Birmingham Magistrates Court, and were additionally ordered to pay another £2,500 as costs.

The inspection opened a can of worms. Apparently, most of the tandoors’ ignition systems were out of commission. The workers had no choice but to use burning serviettes to light the tandoor, an extremely hazardous practice. Over fifty percent of the ovens had incomplete combustion, which caused deterioration in the quality of the flame. This led to emission of carbon monoxide, a very toxic gas. The ventilation system installed in most kitchens inspected was generally inefficient, exposing workers to health hazards like smoke. To make matters worse, some of the most poor-quality ovens appeared to be homemade.

Companies need to be sure that they are giving the correct instructions with effective policies around health and safety decisions. Fire Risk Assessments will benefit organisations in enabling them to understand their responsibilities for fire safety, and put in place measures to control the risks of fire as required under legislation.