Failure to Ensure Kitchen Staff Use Hair Restraints While Serving Food
Penalty
Summary
Kitchen staff failed to use appropriate hair restraints while serving food, as observed when a cook with a full head of hair and facial hair served food from a steam table without wearing a hair net or beard guard. The cook acknowledged forgetting to wear a hair net and was unfamiliar with the requirement for a beard guard. The culinary director confirmed that the expectation was for servers to wear both hair nets and beard guards when serving food, while the DON stated an expectation for hair nets but was not familiar with beard guard regulations. The facility was unable to provide a specific policy on hair restraints, only referencing a handbook statement that hairnets must be worn in kitchen areas. This deficiency had the potential to affect all residents receiving meals on the 2 South wing.