Failure to Maintain Sanitary Food Handling and Kitchen Conditions
Penalty
Summary
Staff in the dietary department failed to maintain sanitary conditions and adhere to professional food safety standards during meal preparation and service. Observations revealed that a dietary staff member handled hamburger buns and food items with bare hands after touching her face, adjusting her clothing, and glasses, without performing proper hand hygiene. The same staff member washed her hands for only five seconds, contrary to the facility's policy requiring a 20-second wash, and then used tongs to handle food. Additionally, the kitchen floor on the second floor was repeatedly observed to be dirty, with dried food and a dirty bowl remaining in the same spot over multiple days, despite policies and staff statements indicating that housekeeping should clean these areas after each meal. Another dietary staff member was observed preparing pureed meals for residents on physician-ordered pureed diets without performing hand hygiene before or between tasks. This staff member used a rubber spatula that had fallen into ground meat, handled equipment and food items with bare hands, and failed to wash hands or change gloves as required by facility policy. The staff member also placed utensils directly on unclean counters and did not use barriers as required, further increasing the risk of cross-contamination during food preparation. Interviews with dietary and housekeeping managers confirmed that staff are expected to use gloves or utensils when handling ready-to-eat foods and to wash hands after any activity that could contaminate them. Facility policies reviewed directed staff to wash hands for 20 seconds and to use single-use gloves or utensils for food handling. Despite these policies, staff actions did not align with established procedures, resulting in unsanitary food handling and kitchen conditions.