Safety Culture in the News

Safety Culture in the News

Safety culture in the spirits industry

The gin industry must “keep moving forward” with educating small producers about the dangers of distilling, Bombay Sapphire’s master distiller has warned.

In December last year, The Gin Guild produced a safety poster for distillers to highlight the dangers of handling ethanol solutions.

Created in collaboration with not‐for‐profit organisation the Solvents Industry Association (SIA), the guide was created in light of the increased numbers of “new and often comparatively inexperienced distillers”.

The guide was also aimed at ‘gin schools’ – particularly those using micro‐pot stills, some with open flames.

Speaking to The Spirits Business last month, Bombay Sapphire master distiller Anne Brock said: “There’s a huge interest in gin and I think one of the issues that we have is that people drink gin and it’s a safe liquid.

“Therefore, consumers don’t associate dangers with it. It’s something they use on a regular basis and in their gin and tonics at home. It’s very much about getting the message out that distilling can be safe but you have to take precaution.”

She added: “I think we need to educate a safety culture across the industry. This first step that The Gin Guild has taken is crucial and very important but we need to keep moving forward from here and making sure we continue to educate and make people aware of the dangers.”