Failure to Maintain Hand Hygiene and Kitchen Sanitation During Food Preparation and Service
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain proper kitchen sanitation and hand hygiene protocols during food preparation and service. On one occasion, a cook was observed preparing pureed noodles while wearing the same pair of gloves, using multiple kitchen utensils, touching a menu book, making notations with a pen, and opening the puree machine, all without changing gloves or sanitizing hands. The cook was also seen washing her hands while still wearing gloves and then continuing food preparation without replacing them. Staff interviews revealed that while some dietary workers recalled receiving in-service training on hand hygiene, at least one did not remember such training, though she acknowledged the importance of handwashing. During lunch service, staff distributed food trays to two residents without sanitizing their hands beforehand, only beginning to sanitize after serving those residents. Multiple staff members, including medication aides and a CNA, stated in interviews that they are required to wash or sanitize their hands before handling food trays and after touching non-clean surfaces. They also indicated that they receive in-service training on hand hygiene and would remind colleagues to clean their hands if they observed non-compliance. The facility's policy, as reviewed, requires staff to wash hands in warm soapy water for at least 20 seconds before and after touching food, and to clean utensils and surfaces after working with each food item. Despite these policies and staff awareness of the importance of hand hygiene, observations and interviews confirmed lapses in practice, specifically in the kitchen and during meal distribution to residents.