How I Use the Cuts and Abrasions Template with Customers in Pilla
Knife injuries are one of those risks that people stop taking seriously because they see knives every day. I've walked into kitchens where the knife policy is pinned to the noticeboard, the cut-resistant gloves are in the drawer, and a chef is carrying a knife in one hand and a stack of plates in the other. The policy exists. The behaviour doesn't match.
The problem is rarely that people don't know knives are dangerous. It's that the controls break down under pressure, when it's busy, when someone is rushing between tasks, when the sharpening steel hasn't been touched in weeks and staff are forcing dull blades through product. That's where injuries happen. This article covers what your cuts and abrasions policy needs to include, gives you a template you can edit for your operation, and explains the bits an HSE inspector will actually look at.
Key Takeaways
- What are cuts and abrasions in health and safety? A cuts and abrasions policy covers knife training, safe handling and carrying, sharpening, storage, PPE requirements, and monitoring of unsafe practices. It sits within your health and safety management system as part of your arrangements for work equipment
- Why do you need a cuts and abrasions policy? The Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 places a duty on employers to protect the health, safety, and welfare of employees. Knife injuries are one of the most common workplace injuries in catering, food production, and hospitality, and an HSE inspector will expect to see documented arrangements
- How do you set it up in Pilla? Use the knowledge hub template below, edit it to match your operation, and share it with your team through the app so everyone has access and you can track who's read it
- How do you automate the follow-up? Set up Poppi to chase staff who haven't acknowledged the policy and flag when it's due for review
Article Content
Understanding What's Required of You
Cuts and abrasions from knife use are one of the most reported workplace injuries in industries where knives are part of daily operations. Catering, food production, butchery, hospitality. The injuries range from minor nicks that need a plaster to deep lacerations that sever tendons and end careers. I've seen both.
Your duty under the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 is to protect the health, safety, and welfare of your employees so far as is reasonably practicable. For knife use, that means training, suitable equipment, safe systems of work, PPE where the risk assessment says it's needed, and ongoing monitoring. The Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 require you to carry out a risk assessment for knife use and put control measures in place based on what you find.
Most businesses I work with have the basics covered: they've got knives, they've got a chopping board, they've got a first aid kit. What they're usually missing is the system around it. Who's been trained? When were the knives last sharpened? Is anyone actually checking that people carry knives properly? An HSE inspector won't just ask whether you've got a policy. They'll ask how you know it's being followed.
The control measures split into two groups. Proactive controls stop injuries happening: training, sharp knives, stable cutting surfaces, proper storage, PPE for high-risk tasks like deboning. Reactive controls deal with what happens after an injury: first aid provision, reporting, and learning from incidents. Your policy needs to cover both.
I've audited operations where the knife policy was three pages long but nobody could tell me where the cut-resistant gloves were stored. The document is the starting point, not the finish line. What matters is whether the arrangements described in it are actually in place on the shop floor.
Setting It Up as a Knowledge Hub Entry
I've built a cuts and abrasions template in Pilla covering training, knife selection, sharpening, safe handling, carrying, washing, storage, risk assessment, PPE, monitoring of unsafe practices, and first aid provision. It gives you a structured starting point, but you need to edit it for your operation.
In the knowledge hub, create a new entry and tag it with "Health and Safety System". Use the same tag across all of your health and safety policies so they are grouped together and Poppi can track them as a set. Assign the entry to all teams so that everyone in the business can access it.
The template is designed to be edited, not just filed. If your operation doesn't involve deboning, you can remove the chainmail apron reference. If you have specific knife storage arrangements, like magnetic strips rather than knife blocks, update it. The point is that your policy reflects what actually happens in your workplace, not a generic document that could belong to anyone.
8. Cuts & abrasions – use of knives
Company Name understand that in providing our services, there will a requirement to use knives. We have a duty to protect our employee's health, safety and welfare, as well as reduce risk to a safe level.
To protect staff when using knives, we aim to follow these safety arrangements.
Provide training for employees in the safe use of knives and safe working practices when sharpening them
Encourage staff to use a knife suitable for the task and for the food being cut
Arrange for all knives to be kept sharp
Install preparation tables which provide a stable cutting surface
Ensure staff understand the importance of carefully handling knives when washing up and carrying a knife with the blade pointing downwards.
Provide storage facilities for knives so they always secure and away from areas where they can accessed by customers.
Conduct a risk assessment for the use of knives to identify whether further control measures are required like the use of protective equipment. For deboning, it is recommended that a suitable protective glove is worn on the non-knife hand, and a chainmail or similar apron is worn.
Continually monitor the use of knives to ensure that:
Knives are not left out on the worktop surfaces where they can be accidentally pushed off
Knives are not used as a can opener
Knives are not carried while carrying other objects
Staff do not engage in horseplay with a knife
Staff do not carry a knives in their pockets
Ensure that in the event of accidents, there is first aid provision in the area where knives are utilised.
This is a preview of the template. In Pilla, you can edit this to match your business.
What I'd want to see when reviewing this:
The training section is the foundation. I'd want to see that no one is allowed to use a knife until they've been trained, and that the training covers grip, technique, carrying, washing, storage, and what to do if someone gets cut. "They learned on the job" is not training. It's hoping for the best.
The sharpening arrangement matters more than most people think. A dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp one because you have to push harder, and that's when the blade slips. I'd want to see that you have a system for keeping knives sharp, whether that's a regular sharpening schedule, staff trained to use a steel, or professional sharpening. The worst setups I've seen are where knives haven't been sharpened in months and everyone just pushes harder.
The monitoring list is what separates a good policy from a paper exercise. Your policy should spell out the specific unsafe practices you're watching for: knives left on worktops, knives used as can openers, carrying knives with other objects, horseplay, knives in pockets. If these are written down, supervisors know exactly what to look for and staff know exactly what's expected.
Common mistakes I see:
The storage section often says "knives must be stored securely" without saying where or how. I want to see named storage locations, whether that's knife blocks, magnetic strips, or locked drawers, and a clear rule that knives go back to storage the moment they're not in active use. "I'll put it away in a minute" is how knives end up on worktop edges where they get knocked off.
The PPE section is frequently too vague. It'll say "protective equipment should be worn where appropriate" without specifying which tasks need which PPE. Your risk assessment should drive this. For deboning, the template recommends a cut-resistant glove on the non-knife hand and a chainmail apron. If your operation has other high-risk tasks, name them and specify the PPE for each.
The carrying rules get missed entirely in some policies I review. The template covers carrying with the blade pointing down and not carrying knives alongside other objects. Both of these need to be there. I've seen a chef drop a stack of plates because he was trying to carry them with a chef's knife at the same time. He tried to catch the knife on instinct. That's a hospital visit.
The first aid provision section sometimes just says "first aid is available." I'd want it to confirm that first aid kits are in or near the areas where knives are used, that trained first aiders are available during working hours, and that all cuts, even minor ones, are treated properly and reported.
Automate the Follow-Up with Poppi
Writing the policy is one thing. Making sure your team has actually read it is another. Poppi can handle the chasing so you don't have to.
If you mark the knowledge hub entry as mandatory, Poppi will track who's read it and who hasn't. You can set up automations to chase staff who are behind, notify managers when someone completes the policy, and get a regular report showing where the gaps are.
Here are three automations I'd set up for any knowledge hub policy:
Tom, you have 2 overdue policies to read and acknowledge
Overdue training reminders
Automatically chase team members who have mandatory policies they haven't read yet. Poppi sends the reminder so you don't have to.
Tom, you have 2 overdue policies to read and acknowledge
Emma has completed a mandatory policy
Video completion alerts
Get notified when a team member finishes reading or watching a policy, so you can track progress without chasing.
Emma has completed a mandatory policy
Training Report: 87% team completion. Tom and Sarah behind on 2 mandatory policies, due 3 days ago.
Training gap analysis
Get a regular AI report showing which team members are behind on mandatory policies and where the gaps are across your team.
Training Report: 87% team completion. Tom and Sarah behind on 2 mandatory policies, due 3 days ago.