Infection Control and Food Safety Deficiencies in Dietary Services
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple failures in infection control and food safety practices within the facility's dietary services. Dietary staff were found not wearing required hair nets and beard nets while preparing and serving food in the kitchen and dining areas. Specifically, a dietary aide was seen preparing drinks without a hair net, and a cook with a mustache and beard was repeatedly observed serving food without a beard net. Both staff members acknowledged the requirement for these protective coverings, with one stating unawareness of the need for a beard net and uncertainty about their availability. The dietary manager assistant confirmed that all dietary staff should be wearing hair and beard nets as needed during food service. Additionally, the central dining room refrigerator was found to be unclean, with pink juice spilled inside and a sticky, dark substance on the floor in front of it. The refrigerator contained undated individually wrapped sandwiches, and staff interviews confirmed that food should be dated and refrigerators regularly cleaned. There was also a failure to monitor the expiration of chlorine test strips used for checking the dishwasher's chemical levels, as expired strips were in use until discovered and replaced. Facility policies reviewed by surveyors required proper use of hair and beard restraints, routine cleaning and disinfection, and daily monitoring of dishwasher sanitizer levels.