Occupational risks for ice cream parlors

Ice cream is one of the products most appreciated by the population and which best represents our country throughout the world. It is in fact considered one of the Italian culinary heritage par excellence. You can get great satisfaction from owning an ice cream shop, however managing this type of business is not so simple. In fact, there are numerous problems that could compromise the solidity of the business. The risks for the worker can be multiple and mainly involve the machinery and substances used to make ice cream. Therefore, the dangers can be of an accident nature, linked to machines, electrical systems, dangerous substances or fires and explosions, but also of an environmental nature, linked to chemical, physical and biological agents.

The biggest problem, however, is linked to the type of products used and their manufacturing process. Due to its ingredients (milk and dairy products, sugars, emulsifiers, stabilizers, flavorings and coloring agents) and its almost neutral pH, ice cream, particularly that made from milk and not water, can be considered a good means for microbial survival. It follows that if the production process and hygiene standards are not respected with the utmost attention, customers can experience even serious physical discomfort.

During production operations the ice cream must in fact be manipulated by doing be careful not to contaminate itusing clean equipment and environments, using fresh ingredients of good hygienic quality. Precautions that must be maintained at every stage of processing, from mixing the ingredients, up to pasteurization, homogenization, freezing, blast chilling, conservation, display, sale, washing and cleaning of tools and utensils. Furthermore, do not forget the possible presence of allergens, which represent an important food danger.
The threshold of attention on the part of the ice cream maker and his collaborators can therefore never decrease, in order to avoid risks that could damage not only the reputation of the place but also have a considerable impact on the owner’s assets and above all on the performance of the business.

Also not to be underestimated risk of accidents that employees may encounter. Cuts, injuries, falls and slips are unfortunately commonplace. As happened in Albenga (SV) where a girl, a seasonal employee, got her hand stuck in the slot of the batch freezer while she was cleaning it and lost two fingers. In the Palermo area, however, a customer found a severed finger inside his ice cream cone. A macabre episode that cost the owner the closure of the ice cream shop.

The unexpected events that an ice cream maker can encounter are therefore innumerable and all of them, in a more or less serious way, can jeopardize the progress of the business. For this reason Lokky offers theInsurance for Ice Cream Shopsin which it is possible to subscribe to various covers specifically designed based on the needs of food traders. The guarantee Civil Liability and the policy Damage to Property and Contents they respectively protect the insured from all risks deriving from negligent, imprudent or culpable behavior that damages something or someone, and protect the workplace and their contents (machinery, professional equipment, furniture, etc.) from unforeseen events.

But for this type of business it is important to take additional coverage into consideration. For an ice cream maker, the Refrigeration Goods Sectionpolicy which deals with protecting goods stored in cells, counters and refrigerated cabinets, following altered environmental conditions (failure or anomalous production or distribution of cold, leakage of refrigerant fluid, electrical failure of the refrigerator or thermostatic valve, etc.). There is also coverage to take into consideration Electric Phenomenonwhich covers the building and/or its contents from material and direct electrical damage, including electronic equipment. There Civil Liability towards Third Parties it extends, however, to damage caused by food products sold or administered and to bodily injury caused by food products of own production, of an artisanal nature, sold and/or administered by the insured directly to its customers. While the Section Fire protects the commercial activity and its contents from damage caused by fires, floods and atmospheric events. Finally, the guarantee Theft and Robbery protects the ice cream maker in the event that he suffers theft of material goods within his shop.