Minneapolis Fire KEC Picture Requirements
The city of Minneapolis is really cracking down on their requirements on kitchen exhaust cleaners. I’m not really sure if I like it or not. I like the idea, but not sure how it will work out.
They are asking for a lot of pictures from each cleaning, by each company. These will take hours to go through. If the inspectors would do their jobs in the first place and actually inspect the work, this would not be needed.
They all complain that they don’t have the time to inspect that many systems. Well, how in the world are they going to sit and look through hundreds and hundreds of pictures every week?
Like I said, I do like the idea, just don’t know how it will actually play out. The bad guys will figure out ways around it and the little guys or the not so computer savvy guys will be S.O.L.
Provide the following:
1. Clear digital photo of the work order # and building address and tenant.
2. Before and after photos of all hood components.
3. Before and after photos of the roof area around exhaust fans (including fans) from at least 2
adjacent sides, identify all pre-existing conditions.
4. Provide horizontal and vertical photos of building duct system and entire building trunk
system.
5. Provide before and after intake photos of fans.
6. Provide before and after photos of the back-side of fan blades.
7. Roof mounted system must provide a digital view of the vertical rise looking-up and a view
looking-down). one before and after photo of hinged roof-mounted fan opened and closed.
8. Provide before and after photos of horizontal and vertical access plates.
9. Provide photos that clearly identify all sides of vertical & horizontal runs & rises
10. Provide before and after photos of the back of the filter rails top and bottom.
11. Provide photos for the completed hoods with filters out and another with the filters properly in
place
I also wonder how it will effect the restaurant owners that already complain about the prices when they find that their price will probably go up to account for the extra time the hood cleaner will need to do this extra work?
I think companies should be doing this anyway, don’t get me wrong. I think I will try to put together a video for my readers to teach them how to take the pics, upload them, and email them or host them and send the link to the Fire Marshal.
Would that help you guys?
Note: Cleaning of commercial hood systems shall encompass the entire building’s
vertical and horizontal trunk systems. Cleaning only the commercial hood, plenum
and duct collar is not acceptable and the system will not be approved. The City of
Minneapolis doesn’t issue confined space entry permits; contractors must comply
with OSHA Standards.
This will hopefully work out for the good in the long run…
Here is the page for the requirements.
Im located in tyhe St louis Are and Ive been cleaning exhaust systems for going on 5 years now and have always taken before and after pictures of every cleaning we do: One it gives me a idea of how the crews are doing the job , Two it helps with insurance companys , Three it helps if you have a hard pay , And Best of all it is a valuble resource for date about the system that either I or the owner can refer to. It takes maybe 15 min to process the pictures and make them availible to the customer on a weekly basis. there have been so many issues resolved by our before and after pictures , tell ya what your really opening your self to alot of trouble if you dont do before and after pictures, and its one of my best selling tools in getting new customers. I say good for them if they are requiering before and after pictures it will get rid of some of the riff raff doing hoods and add legitamacy to our industry.
I have been doing before and afers for some time and there are NO down sides to his program. As a marketing tool, your best salesman is your last job. I get more referrals from my clients than any other advertising I use ( we do have a referral program). The pictures show the customer what they are getting from us, protect us from liability, document the job if it ever comes to that and most importantly it shows corprate stores that they are indeed getting a good cleaning when the decision makers are not at the stores.