Failure to Ensure Proper Thermometer Calibration and Staff Training in Food Safety
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to ensure that food preparation was conducted in accordance with professional standards for food service safety. During a lunch tray line observation, kitchen staff, including the lead cook and certified dietary manager, were unable to properly demonstrate or verbalize the correct procedure for calibrating food thermometers. Multiple attempts to calibrate digital thermometers using the ice bath method resulted in inconsistent and inaccurate readings, with staff unable to achieve the required 32°F reading. Staff also could not provide a relevant policy for reference during the observation and acknowledged their inability to properly calibrate thermometers. Further review revealed a lack of documented staff education or in-service training on thermometer calibration, with only two sporadic entries on an emergency calibration log and no ongoing monthly temperature data. The facility's written policy required monthly calibration using the ice point method, specifying a 30-second wait time for an accurate reading, which staff did not follow. Both the certified dietary manager and registered dietician confirmed the absence of adequate staff training and documentation related to thermometer calibration, as well as the expectation that staff should be knowledgeable about proper food temperature controls.