Staff training records in hospitality: what to keep and how

When an EHO asks "how do you know your staff understand allergens?", "they've been shown" isn't an answer. A dated training record is. The same goes for the licensing officer asking who authorised your bar staff, or the insurer asking about manual handling after a back injury in the cellar.

Training records aren't glamorous, but they're the difference between "we trained them" and being able to prove it. Here's what hospitality businesses are actually required to train on, what to record, and a template you can copy.

What the law requires you to train

Most hospitality training duties say staff must be trained to a level that matches their job. Very few say "must hold certificate X". That's why records matter: you're showing the training was appropriate, not just that a course was booked.

Food hygiene training records

The FSA is clear that a certificate isn't a legal requirement, but businesses must make sure food handlers receive appropriate supervision and training. Training can be on the job, self-study or relevant previous experience. Staff who handle food should be trained before they start work, and that includes allergens.

What counts as evidence, according to the FSA's own guidance: certificates, completed test papers or questionnaires, personal assessments and individual training records. The FSA advises keeping a record so inspectors can see the training your staff have done. Safer Food, Better Business includes a hygiene training record sheet (SC6) if you use it.

For each food handler, record:

• What they were trained on (handwashing, cross-contamination, temperatures, cleaning, allergens, sickness reporting)
• How (on the job, online course, Level 2 course)
• Date and who trained them
• Certificate, if any
• When it's due a refresh

See our Level 2 food hygiene guide for which roles benefit from a formal course.

Allergen training records

Allergen mistakes are the ones that put people in hospital. Every member of staff who takes orders or makes food should be able to answer: where's the allergen information, what do I do when a customer tells me about an allergy, and who checks with the kitchen?

Record allergen training separately from general food hygiene, and re-train when the menu changes. The FSA's free online allergen training is a good baseline; add your own venue-specific session on your allergen matrix and ordering process.

Licensing and alcohol training

England and Wales. You don't need every member of staff to hold a personal licence. The designated premises supervisor must, and anyone without one must be authorised to sell alcohol by a personal licence holder. Keep a record of who's authorised, and when they were trained on your age verification policy (a mandatory condition on every premises licence that allows alcohol sales), refusals and drunkenness. Check your premises licence conditions too: some include specific training or record-keeping conditions.

Scotland. The rules are tighter. Anyone selling or serving alcohol (paid or unpaid) who isn't a personal licence holder must have completed at least two hours of training on the prescribed topics before they work in that capacity, delivered by a personal licence holder or someone with the required qualification. A training record in the prescribed form must be kept on the premises while that person works there. Personal licence holders must complete refresher training every five years and send evidence to their Licensing Board within three months of the deadline, or the licence will be revoked.

Health, safety and fire training records

Fire safety

Record fire safety training at induction and periodic refreshers: exits and assembly point, raising the alarm, extinguisher types if staff are expected to use them, and fire drills (date, time, how long evacuation took, any problems). Our fire safety checklist covers the routine checks.

Manual handling

Kegs, gas cylinders, deliveries, stock rotation. Record who's been shown safe handling for the tasks they do and any equipment (sack trucks, keg lifts).

Chemicals and equipment

Record training on cleaning chemicals they use (see COSHH in commercial kitchens) and on dangerous equipment such as slicers, mixers and fryers. Only staff who've been trained should use them.

Young workers

HSE says young workers need clear and sufficient instruction, training and supervision, often more than adults. Record what you've covered with each under-18. See under-18s in pubs and bars.

A training record template you can copy

One row per training item, per person:

Tips for keeping it useful:

• Make it per role. A kitchen porter needs different items from a bar supervisor.
• Date everything and name who did the training.
• Set refresh dates and actually check them monthly.
• Store it somewhere the duty manager can find on a Saturday night, not in the owner's car.
• Retention: keep records while the person works for you and for a sensible period after they leave, in line with your data protection policy.

Where ShiftComplete helps

ShiftComplete isn't a training platform or a document store, but its checklists make a practical training log. Set up a training checklist per role, or add one-off priority tasks for a new starter ("Allergen walk-through with head chef"). Every tick is named and timestamped, and you can require a photo as evidence, such as a completed course certificate or a signed sheet. The full audit log can be exported to CSV when you need to show an inspector what was done and when.

The daily routine reinforces the training too. Temperature logs are named and timestamped with out-of-range readings flagged on the dashboard, so you can see who's logging correctly. The allergen matrix is searchable by front-of-house from the floor, with manager-only editing. Risk assessments are kept and printable in the app, and team announcements put a procedure change in front of everyone at once. ShiftComplete helps you keep the records an EHO asks to see; you remain responsible for the training itself.

£1.49 per staff member per month, every feature included, free for 60 days with no card needed.

This guide is general information, not legal advice: for a specific case, speak to your local authority's food team, your licensing authority or a health and safety adviser.