Deficient Sanitation and Maintenance in Kitchen and Unit Refrigerators
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain food service areas in accordance with professional standards for food safety and sanitation, as observed by surveyors. In the main kitchen, several areas of floor grout were found to be crumbling, deeply recessed, and covered with a gray, putty-like buildup. These compromised areas were particularly noted near the dish room, where the tile and grout were wet. Additionally, the kitchen had two different types of flooring, with raised vinyl flooring trapping crumbs and moisture at the juncture with ceramic tile. Floor and wall junctures throughout the kitchen had peeling or protruding coving, cracked and crumbling grout, and a missing door frame, all of which made cleaning difficult and did not meet the FDA Food Code requirements for easily cleanable surfaces. Surveyors also found that refrigerators in two unit kitchenettes were not maintained in a sanitary condition. In one kitchenette, there were pools of dried orange liquid under the crisper drawers, and in another, a resident's food bag was stuck to a sticky orange and red substance on the refrigerator shelf. The same sticky residue was observed on subsequent days, along with a milky white, crusted spillage in a crisper drawer containing food items. These observations indicated that spills and contamination were not being cleaned up in a timely manner, contrary to the facility's own policy requiring regular and as-needed cleaning of food service areas and equipment. Interviews with the Food Service Director and the Administrator confirmed that their expectations were for the kitchen floors, coving, and unit refrigerators to be kept in good repair and cleanable condition. However, the observed conditions did not align with these expectations or with the facility's cleaning and sanitation policy, which requires a comprehensive cleaning schedule and accountability for cleaning assignments. No specific residents were identified as being directly affected in the report, but the deficiencies were observed in areas serving all residents.