Failure to Follow Food Safety Protocols in Kitchen
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to adhere to professional standards for food service safety in the main kitchen, as evidenced by multiple staff not following required protocols. On one occasion, the Executive Director (ED) and the Director of Resident Management (DRM) entered the kitchen without wearing hair restraints, despite facility policy mandating their use regardless of hair length. The DRM acknowledged forgetting to wear a hairnet due to being in a hurry and recognized the risk of hair contaminating food. The ED also did not wear a hairnet while in the kitchen. Additionally, the Dining Manager (DM) was observed preparing ham sandwiches without wearing gloves, handling bread, lettuce, and deli ham with bare hands before realizing the oversight and donning gloves. The DM admitted to knowing the requirement for glove use but failed to comply due to being distracted by multiple tasks. Interviews with staff confirmed that all personnel entering the kitchen are expected to wear hairnets and that gloves are required when handling ready-to-eat foods, as outlined in facility policies. The Lead Dietitian (LD) stated that audits are performed to ensure compliance, but training had not been provided to the ED, DRM, or DM. The DM, responsible for kitchen operations, indicated he had not trained the ED due to reporting structure and had only trained the DRM on hairnet use. The facility's policies on uniform dress and glove use were reviewed and found to require hair restraints and gloves during food preparation, but these were not consistently followed by staff.