For a care home, kitchen fire safety isn't a box-ticking exercise — it's about protecting residents who depend on staff to keep them safe. Here's how the kitchen extract system fits into a Welsh care home's fire-safety and Care Inspectorate Wales obligations.
The legal backdrop
Two things sit behind care home fire safety in Wales. The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 places a duty on the responsible person to assess and manage fire risk in the premises. And the Regulation and Inspection of Social Care (Wales) Act 2016, which CIW inspects against, requires the service to provide safe accommodation. A neglected, grease-laden kitchen extract system runs against both.
Why the extract system is a fire-safety priority
Grease that builds up in the canopy, ductwork and fan is highly flammable, and a flare-up at the cooking line can ignite it and spread through the system. In a building full of residents who can't quickly evacuate, that's a worst-case scenario — which is why keeping the extract system clean is one of the most important fire-prevention measures a home can take.
What inspectors and insurers want to see
Both a CIW inspector and an insurer's loss adjuster look for evidence that fire risk is being managed. For the kitchen, that means a current TR19 cleaning certificate, before-and-after photographs and grease-depth readings, kept alongside your fire-risk assessment and fire-alarm servicing records. Documentation is the difference between "we clean sometimes" and provable, in-date compliance.
Building it into your routine
The simplest approach is a standing six-monthly extract clean (more often for larger or heavy-use kitchens), with the certificate filed each time. That keeps the evidence current and the risk controlled. We arrange fully documented cleans for care homes across Cardiff and South Wales — request a free quote or read our main care home kitchen cleaning guide.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does CIW check kitchen extract cleaning?
CIW assesses whether the premises are safe and fire risk is managed. Documented extract cleaning is part of that evidence, filed with your fire-risk assessment and fire-safety records.
What records should we keep?
Keep the TR19 clean certificate, before-and-after photographs, grease-depth readings and the next-service date for each clean — the same records your insurer would ask for after a fire.