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Handle Glassware and

Chinaware Safety

Handling glassware for safety

Improved handling means less breakage and damage, which
translates into higher productivity and lower incidences of injury
accidents.

 Thermal shock is the result of glass experiencing a sudden

temperature change. Glass holds temperature, and a rapid
change in temperature can cause enough stress to result in
breakage. For example, a glass that has held ice cannot go
directly into the dishwasher; a glass warm from the dishwasher
should not go directly into service; and cold water or ice should
not be put into a warm or hot glass or cup. In all cases, the
glass needs to reach room temperature before being taken to
the other extreme, and the thicker or heavier the item, the more
time is needed. Cracks that result from thermal shock usually
form around abrasions caused by mechanical impact,
increasing the chances of breakage.

 Mechanical shock in glassware is the direct result of contact

with another object, such as a spoon, a beer tap, another
glass, or a piece of china. This kind of contact can cause a
minute abrasion, invisible to the eye, but a source of weakness
in the glass, making it more susceptible to breakage from
impact or thermal shock.

Handling of glassware
 Never pick up glasses in bouquets.
 Never stack glasses.
 Always use a plastic scoop. Never scoop ice with glasses.
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 Always have an adequate back-up supply of glassware for

rush periods.
 Avoid glass-to-glass contact in overhead racks and anywhere
else.
 Never contact glasses with the beer tap.
 Always pre-heat glasses with hot water when pouring hot
drinks.
 Always handle glassware gently (and quietly). Remove
abraded, cracked, or chipped glassware from service.
 Always bus glassware directly into divider racks.
 Always sort items in bus trays.
 Never overload bus trays.
 Always handle glassware gently (and quietly). Remove
abraded, cracked, or chipped glassware from service.
 Never overload bus trays
 Never put flatware into glasses.
 Always remove glasses from buspans one at a time.

Handling chinaware for safety

Commercial china, like any equipment in your establishment,
requires proper care and maintenance in order to maximize the return
on your dinnerware investment. The most severe test of chinaware
quality and cost effectiveness is its ability to maintain appearance and
resist damage and breakage under the demanding conditions of
bussing, scraping, racking, warewashing, and storage. Below is a
reference guide to the three most common problem areas related to
dinnerware failure.

 Breakage and chipping are the result of mechanical shock

caused by improper use. Take care to avoid using metal trays
and improper racks. Overloading of bus boxes and dish racks,
as well as piling heavy items on lighter items, stacking china too
high, nesting cups, and using other china or metal utensils to
scrape dishes can all cause strain on commercial dinnerware.

 Scratches and metal marking can result from many of the

same causes as breakage and chipping, especially the use of

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improper metal trays, boxes, and racks. Scratches and

excessive glaze wear can also occur by scouring china with
metal pads, steel wool or abrasive cleansers; stacking hot, wet
china; infrequent cleaning of stainless steel dish tables; and
overworking china because of inadequate inventory.

 Unattractive stains and discolorations can be caused by

inattention to cleaning procedures such as allowing china to
remain unwashed after use, pre-soaking in water over 160°,
improper detergent concentrations, hard water or iron content,
lime content in old equipment, and clogged or eroded spray
nozzles.

Handling of chinaware
 Never stack cups.
 Stack china to the proper level.
 Never carry more dishes than you can safely handle.
 Always sort all items in bus tray.
 Never overload bus trays.
 Always carry dishes carefully
 Always place cups in racks
 Always make sure you have an adequate supply of china for
rush periods.
 Never allow dirty dishes to pile up.
 Never use abrasive pads or other dishes to remove scraps.
 Always keep receiving area neat and clean.
 Always remove scraps carefully with rubber scraper or water
spray.
 Always load like items in each dish rack.
 Always handle china carefully.

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Storage for Chinaware

and Glassware

Storage For Chinaware: General Rules

 Don't crowd items together. Instead, leave plenty of room

between items so they don't clink together.
 Always lift items off a stack, don't slide them, since this can
cause scratching.
 Stack smaller items at top, not at the bottom, and make sure
the stacks don't go too high (no more than 10 or so plates in
a stack, maximum, and less may be better)
 If an item has been repaired keep it at the top of the stack,
not lower where there will be more weight on it
 Because stacked items can easily scratch each other use
something to place between each dish in the stack, such as
a paper plate, paper towel, coffee filters
 Cups, bowls and mugs should be stored rim side up, to
prevent chipping of this most fragile area
 Mugs may be stored on hooks to make more room within
your shelves, but only if they're not antique and have not had
their handles repaired
 If you must stack bowls together, to protect the rims place
something around entire rim as cushion, but ideally mugs,
cups and bowls should not be stacked at all, but instead
placed next together on shelves, with enough room between
each so the sides don't touch
 To create more shelf space for these unstackable items you
can use coated wire racks to add shelving between the
shelves to double your shelving space

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 Be careful when storing china items with lids, since these

can slide off and fall, especially on high shelves if you store
the lid directly on the item itself.

Glassware Storage Rules

 The thinner the glass or crystal the more delicate it is

 The thin protruding shapes from the glassware, such as the
stems, handles and spouts are the most fragile parts of all.
 If your glassware or crystal is chipped it is dangerous and
should not be used for food or drink consumption
 Do not crowd the glassware together since it may increase
dangers of scratching or breaking
 Your stemware should be stored upright, on its base, and
not stacked, if placed on a shelf, or held upside down in a
stemware rack (such as the one shown on the right)
 If you can't display your crystal, you can use special
stemware storage chest, designed for champagne flutes,
wine glasses, or other special stemware to keep them clean
and safe between uses.

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Proper Disposal of Broken

Chinaware and Glassware

Proper disposal of broken glassware

 Address broken glass as soon as the accident has occurred.
Leaving it for any length of time could risk somebody hurting
themselves on the broken shards.
 First of all, protect yourself by putting on a pair of good
rubber gloves, and make sure you’re wearing a proper pair
of shoes.
 Make sure children and pets are uninjured and move them
safely away from the area.
 Carefully pick up the big shards of glass in your gloved
hands. The best way to dispose of broken glass is to wrap it
in newspaper – place the shards on top of a few sheets of
newspaper. Check the floor as far as 10 feet away – it’s
amazing how far glass can travel if there’s been a big
impact.
 Next, vacuum the area thoroughly. Do not use a broom or
the upholstery brush attachment on the vacuum, as little
shards can get stuck in the bristles and cause more of a
mess.
 Remove the tiny pieces of glass that the vacuum cleaner
may have missed by wiping a fresh piece of bread or some
damp paper towel over the area – it will stick to the glass
dust and tiny shards. Place the bread or paper towel with the
rest of the glass.
 Carefully wrap the glass (and bread) up in the sheets of
newspaper, place the ball of newspaper in a plastic bag and
tie it up. This should now be safe to place in the bin.
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 Now it’s time to clean up any spillages. Mop up the liquid

with some paper towels. If you’re dealing with a hard
surface, spray some antibacterial cleaner, like Cif Actifizz
Lemon, and wipe clean with a damp cloth. For carpet or
upholstery, make up a solution of water and a dose of stain-
removing detergent, like persil bio liquid, ensuring that you
follow the instructions on the packet. Dab the stain with the
solution, wipe with clean water and pat dry.

Proper disposal of broken chinaware

 The broken items of crockery should be removed from the
location and disposed of. The best way to do this is to wrap
the broken pieces into several sheets of paper (such as a
newspaper) and place them into a bin bag.
 The bin bag must then be places directly into your outside
waste store. This will help to avoid anyone accidentally
injuring themselves on the broken pieces.
 The entire area should then be inspected to ensure no
fragments still remain. Ideally the area will be cleaned down
thoroughly to remove any small fragments that may have
been missed and also to remove any food residues that may
be present.
 The presence of crockery in a food preparation area should
be limited to those areas where plating up occurs, this will
limit the impact of any breakage.
 If breakage does occur in a food preparation area, all food
preparation should stop. The broken crockery must be
collected and disposed of but a thorough sweep of a wide
area should be conducted to ensure no fragments remain.
 If breakage has occurred in your clean up area, wash room
or dishwasher you must isolate the area, dispose of the
broken item and conduct a thorough clean of the area.
 If the breakage occurred in the dishwasher, it must drained,
cleaned and flushed through to remove any fragments - you
must make sure the filter in the base of a dishwasher is
removed for this purpose and the filter itself must be
cleaned.

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 Consideration must be give to damaged items. Any item that

is cracked, chipped or heavily scratched should not be used
to hold food or liquid.
 Cracks, chips and scratches can harbor food residues and
consequently bacteria. Chips and scratches in cups and
glasses can cause injury to the user. You should dispose of
any item that is damaged in this way.

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