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Vent Hygiene Is More Than Just Cleaning, It's Safety, Compliance and Confidence.

Ventilation hygiene plays a critical role in protecting people and property. In commercial kitchens, grease extract cleaning is a key part of fire prevention, helping to reduce risk and meet the requirements of BESA TR19® Grease. Across all other ventilation systems, effective ventilation hygiene supports better indoor air quality (IAQ), system performance and safer, healthier buildings in line with BESA TR19® Air.

All Vent Hygiene Register (VHR) members undergo a robust, industry-leading audit process to verify competence, quality and compliance against the relevant TR19® requirements.

Keep reading to discover why you can choose a VHR contractor with confidence — whether you are managing grease extract systems, general ventilation systems, or both.

All works completed by VHR members can be notified through the VHR Hub and supported by a digital certificate. This creates a clear audit trail of works completed and helps you demonstrate compliance with the relevant TR19® specification

That means greater confidence for:

Clients and duty-holders, who require evidence of compliance and competent delivery.
Insurers and risk assessors, who need assurance that works are being carried out correctly.
Building managers and occupiers, who rely on safer, healthier environments.

London Fire Brigade states on its website - the number one Firefighter Top Tip for Restaurants and Takeaways is to have your ducting cleaned regularly in accordance with TR19® Grease and installed correctly. The top two most common fire risk in food businesses are:

'dirty ducting' - if you don't clean the ducting in your extraction system regularly, you're at a greater risk of ducting fires.
'poor fire - safe separation between units' - this is especially dangerous if you don't keep your ducting clean. Ducting can pass through residential accommodation above, causing secondary fires.

It's easy to forget about those "out of sight, out of mind" areas in your commercial kitchen like extract ducts, filters and fans, which must be cleaned regularly to:

Ventilation systems are designed to supply and extract air effectively — but over time, contamination can build up within ductwork and plant, impacting system performance and contributing to poor indoor air quality.

Regular ventilation hygiene works in line with TR19® Air help duty-holders to:

support healthier indoor environments for building occupants
improve ventilation performance and reliability
demonstrate that works have been completed competently and to a recognised standard
maintain consistent hygiene standards across single or multi-site estates

"This restaurant fire was inside the ducting. We'd like to remind restaurant and takeaway owners to ensure they don't have dirty ducting. If you don't clean the ducting in your extraction system regularly, you're at a greater risk of ducting fires. You should also make sure you keep the hob, cooker hood and extractor fan clean too – built up fat and grease can ignite and cause a fire."

Tom Tracey Sub Officer, London Fire Brigade

The Vent Hygiene Register is recognised across the industry and supports organisations in reducing risk through verified competence and evidence of works completed.

If the unthinkable were to happen, for example a fire associated with grease extract systems, or an investigation into building condition and maintenance — insurers, clients or duty-holders may require evidence of:

what work has been done, and when
which systems were covered
whether the contractor was competent and operating to a recognised specification (TR19®)

Using a VHR approved contractor helps demonstrate that works have been completed and evidenced appropriately, backed by certification and supporting reports.

Don't Be Tempted To Cut Corners

We understand many organisations are under cost pressure - particularly within hospitality, but reducing ventilation hygiene cleaning frequency or skipping it altogether can lead to increased risk, avoidable breakdowns and greater long-term cost.

Not maintaining systems properly can contribute to:

increased fire risk within grease extraction systems
unsafe or unhealthy indoor conditions
lack of valid evidence to support compliance
higher running costs due to reduced system efficiency

Always Check Your Vent Hygiene Contractor Is Registered

Unfortunately, there are vent hygiene companies out there who claim they are TR19® compliant. That is why it is important to always use our Find a VHR Contractor search tool, which is simple to use and can be filtered by area. If you can't find the contractor on there, it says suspended or removed, then we strongly advise you select a vent hygiene contractor who is registered and approved.

If you would like to report a contractor for fraudulently using the VHR badge or claiming their work is TR19® compliant, then please email contact@venthygieneregister.com. We will investigate and take action.

Complaints And Appeals

If you are unhappy with work carried out by a Vent Hygiene Registered contractor, then you can submit your complaint via contact@venthygieneregister.com. We have a complaints and appeals process, which is administered by BESCA, our third party auditing company.