Failure to Ensure Hand Hygiene and Proper Drying of Kitchenware
Penalty
Summary
Staff in four out of five facility kitchens failed to perform adequate hand hygiene while washing dishes, as observed during multiple instances. Dietary aides were seen moving from handling dirty dishes to removing clean dishes from the dishwasher without washing their hands. This was confirmed by both direct observation and staff interviews, where dietary aides acknowledged not performing hand hygiene before touching clean dishes. Facility policy required staff to wash hands before handling clean dishes, a requirement confirmed by both the Dietary Manager and Dietary Manager Assistant. Additionally, in the main kitchen, metal pans and plastic lids were observed to be stored while still wet, with water standing on them, indicating they were not thoroughly air-dried prior to storage. Both the Dietary Manager and Dietary Manager Assistant confirmed that all dishes were expected to be dry before being placed on storage shelves, and that there should be a designated area for items needing additional air-drying. These failures had the potential to affect 74 of 77 residents receiving dietary services.