Ice Machine Safety Rules for Office Kitchens

You’re probably familiar with the saying, “prevention is better than cure,” and that’s especially true when it comes to ice safety. In a commercial kitchen or shared office kitchen space, it’s crucial for your team to observe safe ice handling and for your ice machine to receive regular cleaning and sanitizing. 

Ignoring a few simple safety protocols can introduce bacteria and germs in your ice, making your team’s ice dirty and unsanitary. Ready to keep your team safe and your ice clean? Let’s go over the preventative measures you can put in place and outline some important ice machine safety rules for office kitchens.

To prevent contamination of your ice, make sure your team follows these simple ice handling protocols that will ensure the ice in your ice machine and ice bin is clean and safe to consume:

1. Sanitize your hands before using the ice scoop to serve ice from the bin
2. Store the ice scoop in a designated, sanitary container
3. Immediately shut the bin door after use

Mitigating the risk of contamination starts with the 3 rules listed above, but it doesn’t stop there. You’ll also need to educate employees on what not to do when using an ice machine in your office. For example, discourage employees from eating or drinking while scooping ice from the bin, and remind them not to remove ice with anything other than the scoop. Also, remind them to never dip cups, buckets, or hands into the ice as this can lead to cross-contamination.

To create a company culture of ice handling safety, post signs and reminders strategically in office kitchen areas. These reminders constantly reinforce the importance of safe ice practices to all employees. 

However, it’s not just about signage – leading by example is equally vital. When leaders and managers showcase their commitment to safety by following the established guidelines and encouraging others to do the same, it sends a strong message throughout the organization. This culture of safety not only keeps your team compliant, but also ensures that the ice in the office kitchen is consistently safe and hygienic for all.

Even the strictest ice safety protocols can’t prevent internal buildup of slime, minerals, and even bacteria. That’s why your business’s commercial ice machine needs routine cleaning, sanitizing, and maintenance—to prevent mold in ice machines, and keep your ice clean and safe.

At Memphis Ice Machine Company, we make routine ice machine cleaning and preventative maintenance easy for busy businesses. When you enroll in our Preventative Maintenance Program, you can set a schedule for routine cleaning, sanitizing, and maintenance. You choose the date, and we’ll send an expert service tech to keep your ice machine clean and running smoothly. Because a clean ice machine is a long-lived ice machine.