Safety Measures for Cooking Mid-day-Meal in School

GOVT. OF WEST BENGAL
OFFICE OF THE DIRECTOR GENERAL
West Bengal Fire & Emergency Services
13-D, Mirza Galib Street, Kolkata – 700 016.

Memo No. WBFES/6836/11 Date: 13.01.2011

From: Additional Director General,
West Bengal Fire & Emergency Services

To: The Joint Secretary to the Govt. of West Bengal,
School Education Department,
Writer’s Buildings,
Kolkata- 700 001.

Sub: Guidelines on Safety Measures for cooking Mid-day-Meal.
Ref.: Our Memo. No. WBFES/6293 dated 23.12.2010.

In light of the discussion held in the a meeting with the Principal Secretary, Department of Fire & Emergency Services and the Secretary, School Education Department, partial modification on the guidelines issued vide memo no. under reference on safety measures for the schools operating Mid-day Meal Scheme has been made and reproduced hereunder.

1. Kitchens should be located at the ground floor level and detached from the main school building within the school premises. The construction can be made using flat RCC roof, CGI roofing, or with stone slabs spanned across pre-cast RC joists/metal sections. In case of space constrain the room be at the extreme end of the ground floor level and isolated from the other part of the building should be identified for the kitchen purpose. In respect of the individual school having small kitchens for supplying of mid-day meals to the students, the measurement of total built-up area of the kitchen may be within 8.41 Sq. Mtrs. The other parameters for kitchen cum store should follow the guidelines prescribed under National Program of Nutritional Support to Primary Education 2006 (Mid-Day Meal Scheme), published by School Education Department, Govt. of West Bengal.
2. Gas oven shall be placed in raised platform. The platform should be at least 30 inches above the ground level to place the gas oven.
3. The individual school supplying cooked mid-day meal for their students, maximum 4 Nos. of L.P.G. cylinders can be used without the provision of separate gas banks. The unused cylinders are to be kept in a separate place away from the oven and their seals are to be opened only at the time of replacement of only one cylinder at a time. The ovens and the cylinders are to be kept away from the main staircase so that even in case of fire there is no problem of egress and ingress of students from the upper floors.
4. In respect of individual schools supplying Mid-day Meal, applications for N.O.C. need not be submitted to the Fire & Emergency Services Department. All individual schools are to follow this safety guidelines and are duly certified by the officials of the DI/Primary School Secretary.
5. The distribution of food should be done through counters to avoid accessibility of students inside the kitchen.
6. The kitchen should be protected by adequate number of Dry Chemical Powder type of fire extinguishers.
7. The above guidelines should be implemented strictly by the school authority, those having individual Mid-day Meal Scheme.
8. The teaching and non-teaching staffs of the school and the workers for Mid-day Meal Scheme should have the adequate knowledge for operating fire extinguishers.
9. The authorities who are responsible for running a community kitchen for Mid-day Meal Scheme have to obtain N.O.C. from the Fire Service department.

Additional Director General
West Bengal Fire & Emergency Services

No. WBFES/6836 dated 13.01.2011