BBQ safety at your summer charity event

In this article we’re sharing essential BBQ safety tips for your summer Charity events. We’re covering important information split out into three sections.

First off, we’ll help you get prepped for your day, from where to place your grill to checking for gas leaks. Then, we’ll move on to “While the grill is on,” providing helpful guidance to help ensure a smooth and safe grilling experience, including tips on food prep and fire safety. Finally, we’ll finish off with “Once the flames are out,” walking you through the steps to put out the grill and clean up after.

By following these guidelines, and briefing your team, you can make a positive impact while safely creating delicious dishes for your charity event.

Preparing for your BBQ

Choosing your position

• Never use a BBQ indoors. Carbon monoxide (CO) can build up quickly resulting in potentially fatal CO poisoning. Including in any temporary outdoor shelter such as tents, umbrellas, marquees, or gazebos.
• Never use a BBQ on a balcony. Flames, sparks, and hot embers can spread quickly to the building.
• Put your BBQ on level ground (not decking) and away from anything that may catch fire such as sheds, fences, grass or trees.
• Never light a barbecue in an enclosed space.
• Do not use accelerants to get your BBQ going.
• Once the BBQ is lit, do not try to move it until the flames are out and it has cooled.
• Before you fire up the grill, start your barbecue safely by prepping your food hygienically (see our guide on food hygiene for outdoor events here). You may also wish to inspect and clean your BBQ too.

Cleaning & Maintenance

Before firing up the BBQ, always make sure it’s in good working order. For gas BBQs, check that the hoses are not showing any signs of wear, stiffness or cracking and all connections are leak free. If you’re unsure about the safety of your gas BBQ, do not use it. Contact a Gas Safe registered engineer for assistance. Cleaning your grill not only improves hygiene, it also makes for a more controlled BBQ. Excess fats and residue from earlier use can catch fire and either spit or produce large and spontaneous flames.

Dress appropriately

It’s important to wear appropriate attire while grilling, as loose clothing can easily catch fire. Choose for a well-fitting, short-sleeved top, or roll up your sleeves. When dealing with hot pots and pans, it’s a good idea to use flame and heat-resistant gloves. If the Great British weather works against you, remember that many waterproof jackets and fleeces are made from plastic and could catch light more easily.

Cooking & preparing meat on the BBQ

Defrosting meat

Frozen meat tends not to cook through thoroughly on a BBQ. Plan ahead and defrost food overnight in the fridge, preferably on a lower shelf to avoid meat-juices leaking onto other food below.

If you don’t have time to defrost overnight, use a microwave on the defrost setting directly before cooking. Once food has been defrosted, make sure to cook and eat it within 24 hours.

Cook BBQ meat properly 

It’s important to cook food at the right temperature and for the correct length of time. This kills any harmful bacteria that may be present. If you’re using a charcoal BBQ, make sure the coals are hot enough before you start cooking. They should be glowing red with a grey, powdery surface.

Different types of meat will have different cooking requirements:
- red meat such as steaks can be served pink, rare, or bloody and will be safe to eat if the surface has been adequately seared.
- other meats, like chicken and pork, as well as minced meat products such as burgers, kebabs, and sausages, should not be served pink or rare as bacteria can be in the meat.

Rotate your meat regularly on the grill and move it around to make sure it’s evenly cooked on all sides. Try and keep raw meat away from cooked meat on the grill - consider dedicating a section of the BBQ for cooked meat. Just a friendly reminder, charred on the outside doesn't guarantee cooked on the inside. Before serving chicken, pork, sausages, and burgers that you’ve cooked on the barbecue, always check:

• that the meat is steaming hot throughout.
• there is no pink meat visible when you cut into the thickest part.
• meat juices run clear.

When feeding the public, you should serve burgers well done. This means not serving rare or pink burgers. This is because when meat is minced to produce burgers, any harmful bacteria from the surface of the raw meat spread throughout the burger. Unless the burger is cooked right through, these bacteria can remain alive on the inside (this is true of all products made using minced meat, such as sausages and kebabs). The quality of the meat you buy doesn't affect the potential risk from harmful bacteria. 

Some restaurants can serve rare burgers, due to extra controls they’re able to put in place. These are difficult to replicate in an outdoor environment.

For more information on outdoor food hygiene and allergens, take a look at our guide.

Cook meat in the oven first

Consider cooking chicken and pork in the oven first, before adding those delicious grill marks on your barbecue. Your guests will still experience that chargrilled barbecue taste, and you will know that you have cooked the meat all the way through. If you’re expecting lots of people, this can also speed serving time up.

Cooking meat in the oven first can also help you avoid other issues, such as with the BBQ coals not being hot enough or having too much food on the grill.

While your BBQ is lit

The main things to remember when your BBQ is alight are:

• Never leave your BBQ unattended while lit.
• Avoid distractions from people around you.
• Avoid drinking alcohol if you are in charge of cooking on the BBQ.
• Create a ‘Safe Zone’ around your BBQ, and keep children, pets, and activities out of this area. 
• Keep a fire extinguisher, bucket of water or sand nearby, ready for an emergency.
• Avoid overloading your grill with too much food, especially fatty meats, can cause a flare-up. It’s safer to cook in batches.
• Use long handled tools – made specifically for BBQing. These tools give you the ability to flip and move food around without getting your hands too close to the heat.

Once the flames are out

After you’re done grilling, it’s crucial to properly shut things down.

• Charcoal grills: Let the coals cool completely and then safely dispose of them in a metal container.
• Gas grills: Turn off the burners and the fuel supply.

No matter which method you’ve finished cooking with, let them cool completely (outside) before covering or storing it - smouldering ashes can give off dangerous carbon monoxide fumes and can be fatal. Open fires and barbecues can be dangerous, and most fire services across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland have advice on fire safety at BBQs .

Useful links for outdoor charity events:

• Public Liability Insurance for Charities
• Food hygiene for Outdoor Charity events
• How to conduct a risk assessment for your charity event

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