How to Record Temperature Checks

What temperature checks do and why they matter Temperature monitoring is one of the most important food safety tasks in any kitchen. Cold potentially hazardous food should be kept at 5°C or below and hot potentially hazardous food at 60°C or above . The range in between (5°C to 60°C) is the temperature danger zone, where bacteria multiply fastest. FoodSafety HQ lets you record temperatures for fridges, freezers, cool rooms, and hot-hold equipment and gives you an instant Pass or Fail against limits you set once. Recording temperatures against configured limits, with automatic pass/fail. How to record a temperature check Open Daily Checks from the sidebar. If you manage more than one site, select the correct venue at the top of the page. Find the Temperature section and click Start Check . Work down the list of items (for example "Display Fridge", "Walk-in Freezer", "Bain-marie") and enter the temperature you read on your probe or unit display. As you type each reading, the system marks it Pass or Fail automatically against that item's limits. When every item has a reading, click Submit to save and time-stamp the check. Tip: Sanitise your probe before and after each use, and let it settle between readings so hot equipment does not skew the next cold reading. Understanding temperature limits Every temperature item has a minimum and maximum limit. A reading outside that range is marked Fail . Common starting points many venues use are: Fridges and cool rooms: keep chilled potentially hazardous food at 5°C or below. Freezers: typically around -18°C, kept hard-frozen. Hot hold: 60°C or above for hot potentially hazardous food. These reflect general FSANZ guidance under the Food Safety Standards (Standard 3.2.2). Your local council or state regulator may set specific requirements, so confirm the exact limits that apply to your venue and set each item accordingly. When a check fails If a reading falls outside its limits, FoodSafety HQ flags it as a fail and prompts you to deal with it. A corrective action is created so there is a clear record of what went wrong and what you did about it. Note the actual reading and the equipment affected. Take immediate action, for example moving stock to a working unit or discarding food that has been in the danger zone too long. Record what you did in the corrective action and mark it resolved once the issue is fixed. Remember the 2-hour / 4-hour rule: potentially hazardous food in the danger zone (5°C–60°C) for under 2 hours can be refrigerated or used; between 2 and 4 hours it should be used immediately; over 4 hours it must be thrown out. Adding or changing what you check To add a new fridge, rename an item, or adjust limits, go to Check Items in the sidebar. See Managing Check Items for full instructions. Each venue keeps its own list, so set them up per site. Recording on the floor Staff can complete temperature checks from a phone using the mobile staff app , which is handy during opening and service. Learn more about our temperature monitoring features , or contact us if you need a hand setting limits.