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Kitchen extraction cleaning - record-keeping
Getting the paperwork from each clean is one thing; keeping it, over time, so you can prove your duct compliance whenever asked, is another. You need an ongoing record set - the certificates, reports and photographs from every clean, kept together and current, and linked to your fire risk assessment. Here are the records you must keep to prove duct compliance. This is general commentary on record-keeping.
The short answer
There's a difference between getting the paperwork after a clean (covered in the paperwork to demand) and keeping the records over time so you can prove your compliance whenever asked. Proving duct compliance isn't a one-off; it's an ongoing state you need to be able to demonstrate at any point - to an insurer, a fire inspector, an EHO, or in your own fire risk assessment. That takes a maintained record set. Here's what to keep. This is general commentary; your insurer and fire risk assessment set your specific requirements. What proving compliance over time requires. To prove your ductwork is compliant, you need to show it's cleaned to standard at the appropriate frequency - which is an ongoing pattern, not a single event. So a single certificate proves one clean; but proving compliance means showing an ongoing record of cleaning to standard at the right interval. That's why you keep the records as a series over time. The records to keep. For each clean, keep the three key documents: the certificate (to the TR19 Grease standard - the formal proof of the standard, with the date); the report (of what was cleaned - confirming the whole system); and the before-and-after photographs (of the ductwork and fan - proving the hidden parts were done). Keep these together and complete for every clean. Keep them as a series. Crucially, keep the records as an accumulating series - each clean's documents added to the previous ones - so you build a dated record over time. This series is what demonstrates the frequency: the sequence of dated cleans shows that the extraction is cleaned regularly at the appropriate interval (not just once). So don't discard old records - the history is part of the proof. Link to the fire risk assessment. Your fire risk assessment should reference the extraction cleaning (identifying the grease fire risk and how it's managed - by the cleaning) - so link the cleaning records to it (as covered in linking your fire risk assessment to your duct cleaning records). This ties the records into your overall fire-safety documentation, showing the extraction fire risk is assessed and managed. Keep it current and accessible. Keep the record set current (adding each new clean, so it's always up to date) and accessible (organised and easy to produce when asked). Whether kept on paper or digitally (cloud records vs paper), the point is a complete, current, retrievable set. Why it matters. This maintained record set is what lets you prove your duct compliance whenever it's needed: an insurer asking for evidence (or when switching insurer - proving to a new insurer), a fire inspector or EHO, or your fire risk assessment review. Without it - if you only have the odd certificate, or nothing kept - you can't demonstrate ongoing compliance, and you're exposed. So the records you must keep are the ongoing, complete, current set of cleaning documentation (certificates, reports, photographs from every clean), kept together and linked to your fire risk assessment - maintained over time so you can prove your ductwork is cleaned to standard at the right frequency whenever asked. So keep the full set, over time, ready to prove compliance. This is general commentary on record-keeping.
Key points
Compliance is ongoing
The key to the records you must keep is understanding that duct compliance is an ongoing state, not a one-off event - so proving it takes a record over time, not just a single document. To prove your ductwork is compliant, you have to show it's cleaned to standard at the appropriate frequency - and 'at the appropriate frequency' is a pattern over time (regular cleaning at the right interval), not a single clean. So a single certificate proves one clean happened; but it doesn't, on its own, prove ongoing compliance (that the extraction is cleaned regularly, to standard).
So proving compliance requires a record over time - an accumulating series of cleaning documentation that shows the cleaning is done regularly, to standard, at the right interval. This is why getting the paperwork from one clean (important as that is) isn't enough on its own - you need to keep it, and keep the ones before and after it, building the ongoing record. So the record-keeping is about maintaining a set over time, not just filing one certificate. This is the shift from 'getting the paperwork' (per clean) to 'keeping the records' (ongoing) - and it's what proving compliance actually needs. So compliance is ongoing - proving it takes a record over time. The next sections cover exactly what to keep and how. So proving compliance needs a record over time. This is general commentary.
What to keep, every clean
The core of the record set is the three key documents from every clean - kept complete for each one. For each clean, keep: the certificate - to the TR19 Grease standard, the formal proof that the clean met the recognised benchmark, with the date; the report - describing what was cleaned, confirming the whole system (canopy, filters, ductwork, fan) was covered; and the before-and-after photographs - showing the ductwork and fan before and after cleaning, proving the hidden, important parts were actually done.
These are the same documents you should obtain after every clean (as covered in the paperwork to demand) - and the record-keeping is to keep them, complete, for every clean. So don't just glance at the paperwork and lose it; file it. And keep all three for each clean - the certificate (the standard), the report (the scope), and the photographs (the proof of the hidden parts) - because together they fully evidence that clean (a certificate alone, without the photographs, doesn't prove the hidden parts were done). So what to keep, every clean - certificate, report, photographs - is the per-clean content of the record set. Keeping these completely for each clean is the foundation; keeping them as a series over time (next) is what proves the ongoing compliance. So keep all three documents from every clean. This is general commentary.
Keep them as a series
Crucially, keep the records as an accumulating series over time - because the history is what proves the cleaning frequency, not just individual cleans. Each clean's documents should be added to the previous ones, building a dated record over time - so you have not just the latest clean, but the sequence of cleans. This series is essential to proving compliance, because it demonstrates the frequency: the dated sequence shows that the extraction is cleaned regularly, at the appropriate interval (say, every so many months), rather than just once. So the history is part of the proof - it's what shows the ongoing pattern of cleaning to standard.
This means you shouldn't discard old cleaning records once a new clean is done - the old ones are part of the evidence of ongoing compliance (the record of past cleans establishing the frequency and history). So keep the whole series, in date order, building over time. A single recent certificate proves one clean; the series proves you clean regularly to standard - which is what compliance requires. So keep them as a series - the history proves the frequency - is the key discipline that turns per-clean paperwork into proof of ongoing compliance. Keeping the accumulating, dated record is what lets you show the cleaning is done at the right frequency, over time. So keep the accumulating series, not just the latest. So the dated series proves the frequency. This is general commentary.
Link it and keep it current
Two more things complete the record-keeping: linking the records to your fire risk assessment, and keeping the set current and accessible. Link to the fire risk assessment: your fire risk assessment should identify the extraction grease fire risk and how it's managed - by the cleaning - so the cleaning records should be linked to it (referenced by it, kept with or alongside it), as covered in linking your fire risk assessment to your duct cleaning records. This ties the cleaning records into your overall fire-safety documentation, showing the extraction fire risk is assessed and managed - which is what demonstrates compliance in the round (not just that cleaning happens, but that it's part of managing the identified risk).
Keep it current and accessible: maintain the record set - add each new clean as it's done (so it's always up to date, reflecting the latest clean and the ongoing frequency), and keep it organised and easy to produce (accessible when asked). Whether you keep the records on paper or digitally (cloud records vs paper files - each with pros and cons), the essential thing is a complete, current, retrievable set - so that at any moment you can produce the up-to-date proof. So link it and keep it current - tied to the fire risk assessment, and up to date - completes the record-keeping. A linked, current, accessible record set is what proves compliance whenever needed. So link the records and keep them current and retrievable. This is general commentary.
Ready whenever asked
So the records you must keep to prove duct compliance are the ongoing, complete set of cleaning documentation - the certificate, report and photographs from every clean, kept together as a dated series, linked to your fire risk assessment, and kept current and accessible - so that at any time you can produce a complete, up-to-date record proving your ductwork is cleaned to standard at the right frequency. So keep it ready whenever asked: a complete, current record proves compliance.
The point of maintaining this record set is that proving compliance can be demanded at any time - by an insurer asking for evidence (or when you switch insurer and must prove it to a new one), by a fire inspector or EHO, or in reviewing your fire risk assessment. If your records are complete, current and to hand, you can prove your compliance straight away, demonstrating a well-managed fire risk. If they're not - only the odd certificate, or nothing kept - you can't demonstrate ongoing compliance, and you're exposed (to questions, to a challenged insurance claim, to an enforcement concern). So the record-keeping discipline - obtain the proper paperwork from every clean, file it together as a series, link it to your fire risk assessment, keep it current and accessible - is what keeps you ready to prove compliance whenever asked. So keep the full record set, over time, and be ready whenever asked - a complete, current record is what proves your duct compliance. So maintain the ongoing record set to prove compliance any time. This is general commentary on record-keeping; your insurer and fire risk assessment set your specific needs.
Questions
The certificate, report and before-and-after photographs from every clean - kept together as a dated series, linked to your fire risk assessment, and kept current - so you can show cleaning to standard at the right frequency over time. Proving duct compliance means showing the extraction is cleaned to standard at the appropriate frequency - an ongoing pattern, not one event. So keep, for every clean: the certificate (to TR19 Grease, dated); the report (of what was cleaned); and the before-and-after photographs (of the ductwork and fan). Keep these complete for each clean, and as an accumulating dated series over time (the history proves the frequency). Link them to your fire risk assessment (which should reference the cleaning), and keep the set current and accessible. This maintained record set lets you prove, at any time, that your ductwork is cleaned to standard at the right frequency. So keep the full set from every clean, as a series, linked and current. So the certificates, reports and photographs, kept over time. This is general commentary on record-keeping.
Because proving compliance means showing an ongoing pattern of cleaning at the right frequency - the dated series of past cleans is what demonstrates the frequency; a single latest certificate only proves one clean. Duct compliance is about cleaning to standard at the appropriate frequency - a regular pattern over time. A single, latest certificate proves one clean happened, but not that you clean regularly at the right interval. The dated series of records - the sequence of past cleans - is what demonstrates the frequency (showing, say, cleaning every so many months over time). So the history is part of the proof of ongoing compliance, not just old paperwork to discard. Keeping the whole series in date order lets you show the ongoing pattern of cleaning to standard - which is what proving compliance requires. So keep the old records too - they establish the frequency and history. So don't discard them; the series proves the frequency. So because the history proves the frequency. This is general commentary.
The paperwork you get after each clean is the per-clean documents; the records you keep is the ongoing set - filing those documents together over time as a series, linked and current, so you can prove compliance whenever asked. Getting the paperwork after a clean (the certificate, report and photographs) is about obtaining the documents from each individual clean (as covered in the paperwork to demand). Keeping the records is the ongoing discipline of filing those documents together over time - building a dated series, keeping it complete and current, linking it to your fire risk assessment, and keeping it accessible - so you can prove your ongoing compliance at any time. So the two connect: you obtain the paperwork from each clean (per clean), and keep it as part of an accumulating record set (ongoing). Getting the paperwork is the input; keeping the records is maintaining the proof over time. So one is per-clean documents, the other is the maintained ongoing set. So getting is per-clean; keeping is the ongoing set. This is general commentary.
Yes - your fire risk assessment should identify the extraction fire risk and how it's managed (the cleaning), so linking the cleaning records to it shows the risk is assessed and managed, tying the records into your fire-safety documentation. Your fire risk assessment should identify the grease fire risk in the extraction and how it's controlled - by keeping the extraction cleaned. So the cleaning records should be linked to the fire risk assessment: referenced by it, and kept with or alongside it (as covered in linking your fire risk assessment to your duct cleaning records). This link matters because it shows the extraction fire risk is not just cleaned but assessed and managed as part of your overall fire safety - demonstrating compliance in the round (the identified risk being controlled and evidenced). So don't keep the cleaning records in isolation - tie them to your fire risk assessment, so the records and the assessment together show the fire risk is managed. So yes - link the records to the fire risk assessment. So yes - it ties them into your fire safety. This is general commentary.
Either works - the essential thing is a complete, current, retrievable set; digital (cloud) records are convenient and hard to lose, paper is simple but can be misplaced, so keep whichever you'll maintain reliably and can produce when asked. The medium matters less than the maintenance. Digital or cloud records are convenient (easy to organise, back up, and produce; hard to lose - as covered in cloud records vs paper files); paper records are simple but can be misplaced, damaged or scattered. Either can work, provided the set is complete (all the documents from every clean), current (kept up to date), and retrievable (organised and easy to produce when asked). So keep the records in whatever form you'll reliably maintain and can readily access - many find digital/cloud storage easiest to keep complete and produce. The key is not the medium but that you have a full, current, accessible record set ready to prove compliance. So keep them in whatever form you'll maintain and can produce - the completeness matters most. So either, as long as it's complete and retrievable. This is general commentary.
Your insurer (for cover or a claim, including a new insurer), a fire inspector or fire authority, an EHO, and your own fire risk assessment review - which is why you keep the records ready to produce at any time. Several parties may need to see proof of your duct compliance: your insurer (requiring evidence the extraction is cleaned to standard, when arranging or renewing cover, switching insurer, or in a claim - a fire claim can turn on it); a fire inspector or the fire authority (checking your fire safety, including the extraction fire risk); an environmental health officer (EHO) in the course of inspection; and your own fire risk assessment (which should reference the cleaning, reviewed periodically). Because any of these can arise at any time, you keep the records maintained and ready - so you can produce a complete, current proof of compliance whenever asked. So keep them ready for the insurer, fire inspector, EHO, or your fire risk assessment. So insurers, fire inspectors, EHOs, and your fire risk assessment. This is general commentary.
We provide the certificate, report and photographs from every clean - the documents that build your ongoing compliance record. Kept together as a dated series and linked to your fire risk assessment, they prove your ductwork is cleaned to standard at the right frequency. Ask us for fully-documented cleans. This is general commentary on record-keeping.
