Who We Serve: Educational Institutions
Kitchen Exhaust Cleaning for Schools & Universities
Canteens and campus kitchens serviced in term breaks, maintained to AS 1851-2012 and documented building by building with photo evidence.
The challenge for schools, TAFEs and universities
One late canteen exposes the whole campus
Schools, universities and TAFE campuses run commercial kitchens serving students and staff daily, from school canteens to large campus food courts. Those kitchens generate grease build-up that creates fire risk and needs regular cleaning to meet Australian Standards and insurer expectations. The moment one canteen falls behind, the whole campus is exposed at audit, insurance renewal or a WHS review.
SAIS Hygiene works with estates and facilities teams across universities, TAFE networks, school groups and diocesan portfolios to deliver thorough exhaust and HVAC cleaning, documented building by building: maintained to AS 1851-2012, scheduled into term breaks, with a clear evidence trail behind each building’s AFSS. We carry the coordination, the compliance paperwork and the reporting, so your facilities team isn’t the one chasing it.
How we help
Exhaust and HVAC cleaning scheduled around the school year
Kitchen exhaust cleaning
HVAC duct cleaning and air quality
Term-break scheduling
Compliance and reporting
Every kitchen exhaust cleaning visit covers the canopy and filters, the full ductwork run and the exhaust fan, degreased to bare metal where accessible, with photographic evidence at each stage. Campuses that also need classroom and lecture-theatre air handled can add HVAC duct cleaning to the same schedule and the same report.
Cleaning that fits the academic calendar
The kitchen exhaust cleaning records that stand behind your AFSS, with no guesswork on who does what
Campus kitchens have a built-in advantage: predictable downtime in term breaks. As NSW fire-safety reforms have tightened AS 1851-2012 maintenance expectations, with essential-safety-measures obligations also applying in VIC and QLD, we’ve seen facilities teams pressed harder on kitchen-exhaust obligations and the records behind each building’s AFSS (or its VIC/QLD equivalent). A common misreading is that the monthly visual inspections between professional cleans must be done by an external “competent person” that campus staff can’t be. In our reading, that isn’t quite right.
SAIS does the AS 1851-2012 maintenance and supplies the records the fire-safety practitioner relies on to endorse the AFSS. SAIS does not sign it.
Read more: Who is a “competent person”? · Compliance Guide
In our reading of AS 1851
Monthly visual inspections can be carried out by trained campus staff working to a documented checklist. Competence, in our reading, is demonstrated through training and documented process rather than a specific licence; confirm the right arrangement with your fire-safety practitioner. What matters at an education-department audit or insurance renewal is the evidence: training, a checklist, and the records to back it.
That’s exactly what we help campuses and portfolios put in place, while we keep the cleaning side documented to AS 1851-2012, so you have the evidence ready when an audit, insurer or inspector asks for it.
Whether you run one campus or a network of them, we have the local crews and scheduling to service every site to one consistent standard: same training, same standard, every kitchen. And every clean comes with a detailed report: documented evidence you can hand an insurer, auditor or surveyor, proving the ductwork and fan were cleaned, not just the canopy.
How it works
From site assessment to photo report in three steps
Assess & schedule
Clean to standard
Documented evidence
Our exhaust cleaning work, before and after
From canteen canopy to rooftop fan: the trouble spots
Compliance across a campus, or a whole portfolio? Let’s map it.
Tell us how many kitchens you operate and where. We’ll come back with a term-break service schedule, a panel-ready scope of works and a consolidated quote across every site.
Request a quote 1800 800 235Accredited & audited
Certified and inducted to work on school and campus sites
In their words
From the campus and facilities teams we work with
SAIS are our long-term and trusted exhaust maintenance partner. Communication is positive and responsive. They have always been flexible and provide extra support when it’s needed. Highly recommended.
Jeff Aiono Frost Building Services Manager, Bligh Street
SAIS are highly recommended to service and maintain all CFM Airsystems kitchen exhaust fans and electrostatic filtration units.
Mark Kotsikas Engineer, CFM Airsystems
More sectors we serve
Kitchen exhaust cleaning, sector by sector
FAQ
What schools, TAFEs and universities ask about kitchen exhaust cleaning
Can you schedule around term dates and holidays?
Yes. We schedule major cleaning work into term breaks and holidays to minimise disruption to classes, with after-hours and weekend service for anything urgent in between.
How often does a school canteen or campus kitchen exhaust need cleaning?
It depends on cooking load. Under AS 1851-2012, light-cooking kitchens such as school canteens need a professional clean at least annually, while high-volume campus food courts and residential catering kitchens may need monthly to quarterly service. Each kitchen’s cooking style and volume sets its documented frequency, and we time the cleans around term breaks so the schedule holds all year.
Do you handle both school canteens and large campus food courts?
Yes. We provide kitchen exhaust cleaning for everything from a single school canteen to multi-outlet university food courts and residential-college kitchens. Every kitchen gets the same service: canopy, filters, ductwork and exhaust fan cleaned and documented, so the smallest tuckshop carries the same standard of evidence as the flagship food court.
Do the monthly AS 1851 inspections need a contractor, or can campus staff do them?
In our reading of AS 1851, a trained campus staff member working to a documented checklist can perform the monthly visual inspection. We can help you set up that process. More here.
Is your documentation suitable for education-department and WHS audits?
Yes. Every clean produces cleaning certificates, photographic evidence and detailed reports that drop straight into each building’s AFSS evidence, insurance renewals and WHS records. SAIS does the AS 1851-2012 maintenance and supplies the records your fire-safety practitioner relies on to endorse the AFSS. SAIS does not sign it.
Can you work with our procurement and preferred-supplier panel?
Yes. We’re set up to work through institutional procurement, including EOIs, RFTs and preferred-supplier panels, with a panel-ready scope of works and transparent pricing across every campus.
Do you meet our WHS and contractor-induction requirements?
We carry full PL and PI cover, provide SWMS, and our technicians are inducted and trained for working at heights on rooftop fans and in ceiling-void ductwork, credentials that support your institutional induction and prequalification process.
Can one contractor cover multiple school or university campuses?
Yes. We build one consolidated schedule across every campus, timed to each site’s term breaks, with one report format and one point of contact for the whole portfolio. Crews across NSW, ACT, VIC, QLD, SA and TAS mean regional campuses get the same scope, the same documentation and the same standard as the metro sites.
What does the before-and-after photo report include?
Generally 30 or more photos per clean, covering the canopy, filters, ductwork interior and exhaust fan, before and after. They are delivered inside a detailed report alongside your cleaning certificate, so each building’s records show the whole exhaust system was cleaned, not just the visible surfaces.