The purpose of this document is to provide clear and helpful guidelines for brewers to prevent kettle boilovers. This document will help brewers choose the appropriate control measure to prevent wort burns in the brewhouse by outlining injury risks, boilover root causes, and providing practical engineering, procedural, and administrative controls. The recommendations provided are based on the experiences and expertise of the Brewers Association (BA) Safety Subcommittee and Engineering Subcommittee, and others who have experienced burn trauma from kettle boilover.

Kettle boilovers can result in devastating burns, serious injury, and even death. The sad truth is that boilovers are entirely preventable. Boilovers are abnormal events that are usually tied to actions of the brewer in determining process parameters. The lack of suitable hazard controls amplifies the opportunity for a boilover. Download the full resource to learn more.

Note: The Safety Subcommittee and the BA believe the recommendations in this document are appropriate and essential for protecting the health and safety of the craft beer industry’s hardworking, dedicated employees. Working in a craft brewery presents many inherent dangers and should not be taken lightly. Proper management of hazards in the brewery can prevent serious injury or death.