Is your hospitality business pest ready to open on 17th May?
As hospitality businesses in Herefordshire and Worcestershire prepare to reopen following lockdown, PGM Pest Control are here to help you determine whether your business is pest-free, compliant and ready to serve the public.
Pest controllers across the country are busy visiting local hospitality venues to help them secure food preparation areas and public areas from pest activity.
Herefordshire hospitality businesses getting ready to re-open (or open for the first time) next week should ensure that their business is pest-free.
A vital part of the reopening process for businesses is ensuring premises are Pest Free and ready for action.
In the UK a raft of legislation is in place to ensure businesses – particularly in the hospitality and food sectors – work in clean and hygienic conditions, with regulations covering everything from storing and disposing of refuse to managing food waste and controlling pests.
One of the biggest threats that many closed businesses will have to face is the possibility of a serious pest infestation, which may have established while their premises were left without any activity and unguarded from pests.
If you closed your business due to the pandemic and have been advised that you can reopen, we will help take you through a step-by-step process to enable you to mitigate the potential risk of pest problems.
Advice for Hospitality Businesses
Owning a Hospitality business you will be aware that there are certain pieces of legislation relating to your sector, most notably:
Food Safety Act 1990
Food Hygiene Regulations 2006
These both state, in varying ways, that you must keep your premises free of pests. If you return to business premises that have a pest infestation, then you will need to get it under control before you can begin to supply goods or serve food to the public. Pests will contaminate surfaces that they have come into contact with, so you will need to do a thorough clean - talk to your pest control company, as they may provide this service for you.
Environmental Health Officers can also issue enforcement notices to business owners who don’t have adequate pest management procedures in place. If not complied with, these can lead to fines or even a stint in jail and a criminal record. Even if you don’t run a food business, you still have a duty of care to your employees under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, to ensure a safe and pest-free work environment.
You can prevent infestations from getting out of control during this period if you continue with our pest management services.
BE PROTECTED. PROFESSIONALLY. Make sure your business will be safe to reopen once we get through this difficult time.
If your business kept its pest management programme going during the lockdown period, then your business should already be well prepared to re-open on the 17th May. If you were unable to retain your pest control or did not previously have pest control then give us a call now as we can help.
FURTHER HELP AND GUIDANCE
Read our blog post Getting Ready to Re-Open Your Business
A checklist to support food businesses to reopen safely after lockdown and operate safely during COVID-19 after a period of inaction.
For all your pest control needs, give PGM & Son Pest Control Hereford a call on 01981 251116 or 07964 370480 for a free no-obligation chat.
If you prefer, you can email us at contact@pgmpestcontrol.co.uk or you can use the live chat facility on our website.
