Many communities are adopting regulations for food truck exhaust fans, hood, and ventilation system safety and maintenance in accordance with current NFPA 96 codes. For example, many state and local codes now require mobile food truck vehicles that use propane or natural gas for cooking to be equipped with a Type I or Type II commercial kitchen food truck exhaust hood. In some areas, food trucks are also required to meet NFPA 96 standards for scheduling inspection for grease buildup.
What Can You Do To Make Your Food Truck Safer?
Even if your food truck isn’t currently required by law to meet any specific standards, new regulations are likely to be in place as soon as next year. And as the old saying goes, “You’re better safe than sorry.”
So what can a food truck operator do to make their mobile kitchen safer? Here are some simple ways you can protect your employees and avoid fire related damage, lost revenue, or even worse ⎯ permanent closure.
Know Your Safety Codes
Does your food truck use any kind of liquefied petroleum gas? One of the first things you can do is familiarize yourself with the NFPA 58 Liquefied Petroleum Gas Code. It covers everything you need to know from the correct way to store and transport LP gas cylinders to operating and maintenance procedures.
The other set of standards you should learn about are the NFPA 96 Standard for Ventilation Control and Fire Protection of Commercial Cooking Operations. A large part of NFPA 96 provides guidelines for ventilation equipment such as exhaust hoods, hood filters, and grease containment systems. There are also specific rules outlined for solid fuel cooking operations and fire-extinguishing equipment.
Follow These Food Truck Safety Tips
While you won’t find any mention of food trucks in the current editions of NFPA 96 or NFPA 58, mobile food vendors can still learn a lot from these standards.
The number of municipalities adopting food truck food safety regulations is growing and with the anticipated changes to NFPA 96 next year, there may soon be a national code to comply with.
Here are 20 Food Truck Safety Tips to help you keep your business and employees safer:
- Use only US DOT approved models of LP gas cylinders.
- Check the hydrostatic test date on all LP gas tanks.
- Test all LP gas cylinders for leaks and / or corrosion or rust.
- Always store LP gas tanks in an upright position.
- Never install LP gas tanks on the roof of your mobile kitchen vehicle.
- Use flexible connectors between the gas regulator outlet and the fixed piping system.
- Store combustible solid fuel away from any other combustibles or heat producing appliances.
- Check all electrical cords and extension cords for any damage.
- Confirm your electrical system is in good working order.
- Place generators at least 10 feet away from buildings, structures, vehicles and combustibles.
- Direct generator exhaust away from your mobile cooking vehicle, other vehicles, buildings, structures, exits and openings.
- Shut off all LP gas tanks when your food truck is in transit or unattended.
- Make sure all gas-fired cooking appliances are equipped with automatic and manual shutoffs.
- Install an automatic fire-suppression system and keep a portable ABC and Class K fire extinguishers on hand as back-ups.
- Properly train your employees in using fire extinguishing equipment.
- Use Type I commercial kitchen food truck exhaust hoods for cooking appliances that produce grease vapors.
- Use Type II commercial kitchen food truck exhaust hoods for non-grease producing appliance such as ovens.
- Keep your food truck vent hood free of grease buildup with the right type of hood filters and grease containment supplies for your system.
- Clean your hood filters on a regular basis. Dirty hoods are less efficient at grease capture and can put a strain on your food truck exhaust system.
- Inspect and clean food truck exhaust hoods on a regular basis. The type of cooking and the fuel you use will affect how often you need to do this. Most food trucks will be fine with semiannual or quarterly inspections but if you cook with solid fuel, monthly inspections are a must.
Stay Safe and Stay in Compliance
Setting 
up a commercial kitchen is one of the biggest investments a restaurant will make. The confined space of a food truck makes it even more challenging and adds a variety of new safety concerns.
Keep your mobile kitchen safe by addressing potential fire hazards and adhering to any local food truck regulations.
If you have any questions about selecting the right food truck exhaust hood, hood filters, or grease containment system give our customer service specialists a call at 877.394.9731 or visit us online at HoodFilters.com.