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Hands-Free Cooking Oil Handling for National Safety Month
Frontline International’s Direct-Plumbed® System helps keep workers out of harm’s way
May 11, 2026—This June marks the 30th anniversary of National Safety Month, an observance from the National Safety Council dedicated to “keeping people safe from the workplace to anyplace.” Workplace safety is a core principle on which Frontline International was built, as a maker of smart solutions for the management of fats, oils, and grease in foodservice kitchens. One of Frontline’s signature products rooted in safety is the Direct-Plumbed® System, a closed system that carries used cooking oil from the fryer to a containment tank without ever being touched by human hands.

The hot oil and grease used in fryers is widely considered the single greatest safety threat in foodservice kitchens. There are many different ways it has the potential to harm: starting fires, causing burns, prompting slips and falls (week four of National Safety Month focuses on preventing slips, trips and falls), and contributing to unsanitary conditions.
The Direct-Plumbed system mitigates virtually all of these by keeping used oil contained, first within its piped-in tubing, then locked safely inside a containment tank. With the push of a button, used oil leaves the fryers and flows into the system’s secure waste oil containment tanks inside or outside the facility. No more carrying a dangerous, sloshing bucket of hot oil to a dumpster!
For complete hands-free cooking oil, pair it with Frontline’s EZ Oil™ System for fresh oil. Jug-in-box oil is loaded into the EZ Oil rack, where it flows into the fryer vat. There is never any pouring out by hand of a bulky box or jug.
Frontline International’s direct-plumbed solutions for both fresh and waste oil make handling hot oil obsolete. That translates to potential savings on insurance, workers’ compensation, and employee downtime; greater employee safety; and cleaner floors and grounds. The equipment is modular and customizable and can be adapted to nearly any size space, even small and complex store layouts.
For more information, visit www.frontlineii.com.
Frontline Case Studies
We understand that every establishment is different and comes with a unique set of challenges. But as an equipment manufacturer, Frontline International is able to work with you and come up with a custom solution to meet your individual needs.
The following whitepapers touch on solutions we’ve provided to a handful of our customers. Each one of these customers had an interesting story and a unique challenge, and in all cases, our Smart Oil Management™ systems delivered.
The Super Cooking Oil Collection And Cleanup Solution For Supercenter Food Operations
Grease generated by cooking oil fryers, combi ovens, convection ovens, and other commercial ovens scattered throughout a location can create logistical problems, to say nothing of cleanliness issues and slip-and-fall hazards that pose a threat to both guests and employees.
Scalable Cooking Oil Solutions For QSR Franchisees
The owner of five Dairy Queen locations in Minneapolis, Minnesota, was looking for a safer method by which to dispose of used cooking oil (UCO) from fryers.
Frontline delivers total oil care solution for Five Guys
When Five Guys needed a total solution for managing both waste oil and grill grease, our Smart Oil Management™ systems delivered.
Frontline offers flexibility for Giant Eagle
Supermarkets need flexibility from their oil collection equipment partners, as store layouts can vary. When Giant Eagle needed better.
A better oil management system for Harvard
Harvard wanted a better system for managing used cooking oil to comply with the university’s spill prevention and containment program.
Frontline provides custom innovation for burger chain
A burgers-and-fries chain of restaurants needed an equipment solution to efficiently manage the large quantity of cooking oil they use.
Frontline delivers oil advantages to southern burger chain
Back in the 1950s, the founder of a burger chain set out to “wow” customers from their first bite of a burger so good that they’d say…
Five guys global expansion
Frontline International—an engineering company that designs and manufactures Smart Oil Management™ systems for the foodser- vice…
27 dining locations, 25,000 meals a day, 5 million meals each year.
The stats are impressive: 27 dining locations, 25,000 meals a day, 5 million meals each year. Also impressive?