A kitchen extraction clean is only as good as the access behind it. Grease doesn't stop at the canopy — it travels the full length of the duct, coats the fan, and collects at the discharge terminal, sometimes metres off the ground or on a roof. If a contractor can't reach those sections, they can't clean them. And under TR19®, anything left uncleaned has to be recorded as an inaccessible area on your certificate — a red flag for insurers and fire safety inspectors.
That's why access is one of the things we plan first, not last.
Cherry Pickers and MEWPs for High-Level Systems
For high-level discharge terminals, roof-mounted duct runs and tall external wall terminations, we use mobile elevated work platforms (MEWPs) — better known as cherry pickers. Our engineers are IPAF trained and carry out every lift with a site-specific risk assessment and method statement (RAMS).
It means we can strip, clean and certify the parts of your system other cleaners wave at from the ground. The photo above is a real example: one of our engineers working a high-level discharge terminal before sunrise, out of the way of the kitchen's service hours.
Scaffold Towers, Podiums and Ladders
Inside the kitchen, canopies, spigots and vertical risers don't need a machine — they need the right platform for the space. We carry mobile scaffold towers, podium steps and ladders so we can work safely at height even in tight plant rooms and narrow kitchens, without dismantling your equipment.
Access Panels Where the Duct Runs Are Sealed
Some ductwork simply has no way in. Where a system has long inaccessible runs, we supply and install standard and fire-rated ductwork access panels to NAAD21 — creating permanent entry points so the full system can be cleaned, inspected and evidenced properly.
Working Around Your Service Hours
Access equipment is one thing; timing is another. Commercial kitchens can't stop for a clean, so we start early, work late or come in on closed days. Whether it's a 5am start before the prep team arrives or a deep clean overnight, we plan the access and the schedule together so your kitchen keeps running.
Why It Matters
Every metre of your extraction system that can be reached should be cleaned and documented. That's the difference between a certificate that says "cleaned where accessible" and one that shows a genuinely compliant system — with before-and-after photos, deposit readings and an insurance-recognised report to prove it.
If your last report listed inaccessible areas, or your system has high-level or roof-mounted sections nobody has ever reached, we'd be happy to take a look. Send us a photo of your system or a copy of your last report and we'll quote from it.
Extract Compliance Ltd 0330 133 8231 https://extractcompliance.com