For smaller kitchen extract cleaning companies, staying compliant with the TR19 Grease Specification can feel overwhelming. With a small team of technicians and limited administrative support, much of the reporting work often falls directly on the technicians. Not only can this process be time-consuming, but understanding the detailed requirements for TR19 compliant reports can be challenging.
What TR19 means for your business
TR19 is a standard developed by the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA) – on which British Standards are also based – for maintaining grease extraction systems in commercial kitchens. Compliance with TR19 isn’t just a matter of effective cleaning; insurance company’s also require a TR19 certificate as proof that you have taken all the necessary steps to minimise fire risk. That’s why it’s important to have a reliable and robust way of delivering detailed, TR19 compliant reports that demonstrate that you have met the necessary safety and performance standards needed for fire risk management. Section 7 of the TR19 Grease Specification outlines the required post-clean reporting components.
Here’s what’s involved:
- Duty of care on fire risks: As a contractor, you must clearly inform clients of any fire risks. Your report needs to indicate if the system has been cleaned in its entirety. If any sections weren’t cleaned, you’re required to explain why and provide recommendations for achieving full compliance.
- Detailed post-clean reporting: Each report should be submitted within 30 days, detailing whether the full system was cleaned, the new recommended cleaning frequency (based on pre-clean grease thickness readings), and any identified hazards.
Mandatory elements for TR19 compliant reports:
- A yes-or-no statement on whether the full system was cleaned.
- Explanations for any areas left uncleaned, with recommendations.
- Suggested cleaning frequency, based on grease accumulation levels.
- Grease thickness (micron) readings.
- Before-and-after photos, as well as a layout diagram showing cleaned and uncleaned areas.
- Summary pages should be created for multi-site clients.
- Uploaded to the BESCA portal.
These requirements are essential to help protect your clients from fire risks, but they can quickly become complex and time-consuming, especially for smaller teams. So, how can you streamline the process?
Well, we have an app for that!
TR19 software that helps you produce TR19 compliant reports
Rugged Data is a piece of software that makes TR19 compliant reporting a manageable, efficient task. This TR19 software is designed for kitchen extract cleaning contractors just like you, making it easy to generate fully compliant reports without spending hours on paperwork. Here’s how Rugged Data can help:
- Customisable forms and reports: Our TR19 software can be customised to include all the required elements of TR19 compliant reports, guiding your technicians step-by-step as they complete each step in the cleaning process. This ensures nothing is overlooked.
- Automatic calculations: Calculating the average micron readings and/or recommended cleaning frequency based on grease accumulation data can be complex. Rugged Data uses BESA's predictive accumulation assessment table and automates this calculation, eliminating manual errors and the need for technicians to do any maths on the job.
- Simple and connected: Entering information, notes, and recommendations is straightforward with Rugged Data. Once inputted, the information is automatically pulled into a compliant report on The Hub, saving you from manually retyping notes into a report after each job – a massive time-saver.
- Photo management made easy: Our TR19 app works seamlessly with mobile phone cameras, allowing technicians to upload before-and-after photos directly into the app and they show up in the report straight away. No need to WhatsApp images or copy and paste them into reports, your reports are created quickly and look professional.
- Mark up system diagrams: Rugged Data also lets you mark up diagrams to show cleaned and uncleaned areas, helping you meet TR19’s requirement for visual clarity on system layouts. By simplifying these steps, Rugged Data lets you produce TR19 compliant reports quickly, meeting the needs of your customers and helping you be more efficient.
Focus on cleaning, not reporting
With Rugged Data, our TR19 software, you’ll experience the benefits of a more efficient workflow, allowing you to spend less time on reporting and more time doing. Consistency, accuracy, and peace of mind come standard with our app, and our custom features are here to help you stay compliant with TR19 requirements. For more on how Rugged Data can make your reporting easier, read about more features here and discover the full benefits of using our app.
