Failure to Ensure Hand Hygiene During Food Service
Penalty
Summary
Dietary staff failed to perform proper hand hygiene between dirty and clean tasks during meal service. Multiple dietary aides were observed handling items such as cartons of shakes and condiments with their bare hands, contaminating their hands, and then immediately handling clean glasses and placing them on resident trays without washing their hands. In several instances, staff picked up glasses by the rims and placed them on trays to be served for lunch, again without performing hand hygiene. One aide was observed pulling up his pants after washing his hands and then handling clean glasses without re-washing his hands. Another aide, after sorting tray cards, handled clean plates with unwashed hands and long, polished nails, touching the insides of the plates. The facility's hand washing policy requires employees to wash their hands before the beginning of their shift and any other time deemed necessary. However, staff did not adhere to this policy during the observed meal service. When questioned, one dietary aide acknowledged that she should have washed her hands after touching dirty objects and before handling clean dishes. No information about residents' medical history or condition at the time of the deficiency was provided in the report.