CERTIFICATION PROTOCOL                                     

This protocol provides guidelines for commercial kitchen exhaust cleaners (herein referred to as exhaust cleaners) and the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) to establish a consistent and recordable set of Competencies for commercial kitchen exhaust cleaners.  The chapter is also designed to help exhaust cleaning companies enhance their professionalism with all stakeholders. 

 

In 1998, to improve commercial kitchen fire safety, NFPA 96 approved the proposal that restaurant exhaust systems be inspected and cleaned:

 

NFPA 96 11.6.1 Upon inspection, if found to be contaminated with deposits from grease-laden vapors, the contaminated portions of the exhaust system shall be cleaned by a properly trained, qualified, and certified company or person(s) acceptable to the authority having jurisdiction.

Since that time a growing number of States, Provinces and other jurisdictions are requiring exhaust systems certification as proof of competency to comply with code requirements. 

 

Phil Ackland Company Qualifications (PA/CQ)* and Crew Leader Certification (PAC) herein referred to as PA/CQ and PAC, was created to provide guidelines for the restaurant industry, Authority Having Jurisdiction and exhaust cleaners to establish a consistent and measurable Standard of Care provided by these service companies and individuals.  Thereby fulfilling the requirements of NFPA standards involving commercial exhaust cleaners.

     

      * The name Phil Ackland Company Qualifications and Phil Ackland Certification are meant to  be only temporary names until the Protocol is adopted by the appropriate “governing” jurisdictions.

 

PA/CQ and PAC provides practical definitions of what trained, qualified and certified measurement should be when a company or person is seeking to meet the benchmark of "…..acceptable to the Authority Having Jurisdiction."

 

All of which will answer questions for fire experts and other inspectors on fire safety in kitchens and reduces kitchen fires.

 
Definitions

Trained. A person who has become proficient in performing a skill reliably and safely through instruction and practice/field experience acceptable to the AHJ.  Formal and/or technical training can be administered by the employer or a recognized training program.

Qualified. A competent and capable person or company having the necessary equipment for cleaning and that has met the requirements and training benchmarks acceptable to the AHJ.

Certified. A formally stated recognition and approval of an acceptable level of competency, acceptable to the AHJ.

Certified. Certification can be provided by the manufacturer of the listed equipment being serviced or an independent third party acceptable to the AHJ.

The nature of exhaust cleaning is that nearly all training of workers takes place in the on-the-job environment*.  Therefore, the “Training” aspect comes from the employer (as opposed to the manufacturers in other related industries).  As the responsible party, it is the employer who evaluates it’s employees, making the decision to elevate an individual to the position of “Crew Leader”.

 
          *There are private schools that train exhaust cleaners, contact the author for further details.

Preamble

The removal of combustible deposits from commercial kitchen exhaust systems reduces the risk of fire.

 

This Protocol and other educational information is provided at no charge to the Authority Having Jurisdiction. 

 

Our Goal is to provide the technical guidance to the AHJ, which will assist them in making an informed judgment regarding qualification of the exhaust cleaners.  Provide information to fire inspectors and fire investigators on fire protection and code compliance in commercial kitchens.

 

Kitchen exhaust cleaning, also known as vent hood cleaning or kitchen hood and duct cleaning is performed with a pressure washer, also known as a power washer.  The work of kitchen hood cleaning is done during off-hours when the kitchen is not operating.

 

Hood cleaners need to know the NFPA and IMC fire codes relating to commercial kitchens hoods.  In this way the kitchen cleaner can inform the restaurant exhaust hood owner of serious deficiencies as they relate to the cleaning of the exhaust system.

 

All of which will increase kitchen fire safety.

Purpose

PA/CQ and PAC provides a consistent set of minimum measurements and qualifications for those who inspect and clean commercial exhaust systems.

 

The primary goals of PA/CQ and PAC are:

 

·         Qualify the Company (legal entity doing business)

·         Train and Certify the Crew Leader (that individual who is on the job site at the time of the cleaning, who is responsible for the companies actions)

·         Ensure that a Crew Leader has a minimum level of training (recommend 100 hours*) and has an understanding of the fire and mechanical codes related to cleaning of commercial kitchen systems.

·         Elevate professionalism of persons and companies performing exhaust system cleaning in general

               * Hourly values subject to change.

The establishment of a Standard of Care for acceptable practices will provide end users, AHJ’s, insurance agencies, etc a benchmark to judge whether the performance (service) of a cleaning company or individual meets the requirements as per the code.

                              

Downloads

Download the entire Phil Ackland's Exhaust Cleaners Certification Protocol™.