Cleaning Company Sued after Kitchen Fire
Cleaning company Q3 Services Ltd has denied that its failures to clean properly led to a fire at the former Red Grill House restaurant in 2020.
Q3 is being sued for more than £1.75m. by the Red Grill House restaurant’s owners according to the Guernsey Press.
It is alleged that the fire was caused by the build-up of grease in the extraction canopies and ducting linked to a charcoal grill oven in Red’s kitchen.
In defense papers filed with the Royal Court, Q3 cast doubt on the oven being the source of the fire and stated that there had been a previous fire in July 2018, in the kitchen’s extraction canopy or ducting which caused smoke damage.
Furthermore, in July 2019, Q3 said that the Fire and Rescue Service was called due to smoke coming from a kitchen ventilation outlet at roof level. ‘Shortly prior to the fire on 21 January 2020, the chef at the Red Grill House expressed concern about a fan that had been installed as part of the extraction system,’ said Q3’s defences. ‘It is not admitted that the source of the fire was the ignition of heavy grease deposits.’
The restauranteurs said that Q3 had been taken on as a specialist cleaning contractor and should have been aware that the insurance industry standard policy meant that all extraction systems should have been cleaned, including flues, extraction motors, fans and the entire length of any ducting.
But Q3 does not admit that it was required to ‘fulfil insurance obligations’. It had also never said that it was ‘a specialist cleaning contractor with any specialist knowledge of extraction systems’.
Instead, Q3 said that it had held itself out as ‘a reasonably competent generalist cleaner that was willing to provide basic cleaning of unstipulated specification to the accessible kitchen ducting at the Red Grill House (then known as the Riva Bistro and Bar).’
Claims relating to the knowledge that ‘any reasonably competent specialist cleaning company’ would have were immaterial in relation to Q3, since it did not imply to be one.
The defences also take issue with the contractual arrangements and Q3 said that it was brought in on an ad hoc basis to clean canopies and filters of the extractor systems and the limited section of the duct work near the canopies ‘within immediate reach only’.
It admits that it did owe the companies a duty of care to carry out the basic cleaning services with the reasonable skill and care ‘of a generalist cleaner unspecialised in cleaning extraction systems’.
Q3 also admits that it did not carry out a complete clean of the entire extraction system, but said it was never tasked with doing so and was not aware that this was expected and ‘it was not within its competence to undertake such cleaning’, nor was it in the contractual remit.
‘There was no breach of contract and/or negligence on the part of the defendant in the basic generalised cleaning services it provided to the plaintiff.’
The defense states Q3 did not cause the fire and if this had been caused by inadequate cleaning, that was due to the owners’ failure to have the cleaning done regularly and by a specialised cleaning firm.
Cleaning tips to help owner/operators minimise risk
Tip One – Due Your Homework
Engaging a reputable kitchen exhaust cleaning contractor is key to getting what you need and what you are ultimately paying for. It also ensures that you comply in terms of insurance and reduces your risk of fire. We have put together a handy checklist to make things a little easier.
Tip Two – Minimise Risk
Grease and oil build-up starts at the metal kitchen grease filters before being extracted into the hood, ducting, fan and eventually, the roof.
At best, these metal kitchen grease filters only capture between 20-40% of airborne grease, leading to a hazardous build-up that needs to be cleaned off on a regular basis in order to stay compliant and covered by insurance. It’s an ongoing problem that needed an easy and cost-effective solution.
Shepherd Filters capture up to an impressive 98% of grease before it even has the chance to penetrate the rest of the kitchen exhaust system.
Made from 100% bio-degradable and fire-retardant wool, you can rely on Shepherd Filters to ensure your system stays cleaner for longer:
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