Failure to Maintain Effective Pest Control in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain an effective pest control system in the kitchen, as evidenced by observations and review of facility policy and documentation. During an inspection of the dry goods storage area, the door was found propped open with a large industrial fan, and a partially used commercial-sized bag of brown sugar was left unsealed, with the end of the bag folded over and creating an air gap. A housefly was observed crawling on the outside of the bag near the opening, indicating a potential for contamination. The facility's policy requires preventive measures to deny pests access, eliminate food sources, and work with a pest control operator, but these measures were not effectively implemented. Interviews with the Dietary Manager and Registered Dietitian revealed that neither could recall the last visit from the pest control technician to the kitchen. The partially used bag of brown sugar was later removed from the dry goods room, but the initial failure to properly seal food items and prevent pest access was not addressed at the time of observation. This deficiency had the potential to affect all residents of the facility due to the risk of pest contamination in the kitchen environment.