Failure to Follow Food Safety and Hand Hygiene Protocols
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors observed multiple failures to follow standard food safety and hand hygiene practices in the facility's kitchen and dining areas. Three of five kitchen staff, including a cook and two dietary aides, did not use a paper towel to turn off the faucet after handwashing, contrary to posted instructions and facility policy. This improper handwashing technique was observed during six of nine handwashing events. The dietary manager and infection preventionist confirmed that the policy requires using a paper towel to turn off the faucet to prevent recontamination. Additionally, the kitchen environment was not maintained in a clean condition, with a dusty power cord hanging above clean dishware, uncovered serving utensils, and dust and buildup on ventilation filters and air vents near food preparation and dishwashing areas. In the dining room refrigerator, food items belonging to three residents were found improperly stored. Several containers were labeled with resident names but lacked dates, and one container emitted a foul odor when opened. Another bag of vegetables was visibly moldy and undated. The activities director, responsible for managing the refrigerator, acknowledged that food without dates should have been discarded during the last cleaning, as per facility policy, which requires all food brought in from outside to be labeled with the date and discarded after three to five days. The cleaning log indicated the refrigerator had not been deep cleaned since the previous week, and undated or expired food was not removed as required.