Jamie Oliver Chef Burned In Hot Oil Accident

Published Date: 20th October 2009

Jamie Oliver's restaurant chain has been fined after a chef was horrifically burned with hot oil.

A colleague accidentally spilled the scorching liquid on the feet of Angie Hodgkinson-Day during a training day. She was in hospital for ten days and required skin grafts to her left foot. The accident, at Jamie's Italian, happened after Ms Hodgkinson-Day asked a kitchen porter to pour away two containers of oil from a deep fryer.

The correct procedure is for oil to be cooled overnight first. But Ms Hodgkinson-Day told Bath Magistrates' Court this was not followed at the diner. A probe also found the chef - who had 13 years' experience - had not received proper health-and-safety training nor seen a risk assessment.

The incident happened two days before the restaurant opened last October. The firm admitted breaching health-and-safety rules and was fined £8,500 plus £3,910 costs.

Chain boss Simon Blagden apologised to Ms Hodgkinson-Day, who has left the firm. Council officials said the fine should be a "warning" to restaurants.

Please note: Cooking oil is still a substance and requires a CoSHH assessment so that you can identify task based risks.