Failure to Maintain Gas Stove in Safe Operating Condition
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain all essential equipment in safe operating condition, specifically regarding the gas stove in the kitchen. Two of the six burners (rear middle and front middle) did not light automatically when the knob was turned, and the pilot lights on these burners would not ignite. Both burners had a significant buildup of hard, black carbon from spilled foods. The Dietary Manager demonstrated that the burners did not work and stated that the kitchen staff were responsible for cleaning the stove burners, but the burners had not worked for a long time. The Dietary Manager also indicated that the previous maintenance director and the Administrator were aware of the issue, but the current Maintenance Director had not been notified to address the problem. The Maintenance Director, who had been employed for two weeks, was unaware of the malfunctioning burners and stated there was no maintenance request in the logbook. The Administrator confirmed that dietary staff were responsible for daily cleaning, while the Maintenance Director was responsible for maintaining equipment and ensuring it was fully operational. A review of the maintenance request binder showed no entries from dietary staff regarding the stove burners in the past three months. Facility policy required the range to be kept clean to minimize food hazards, including scraping off burned particles and grease.