Failure to Maintain Sanitary Food Service Practices
Penalty
Summary
The facility failed to maintain sanitary conditions in food service, as evidenced by observations of unclean utensils and improper hand hygiene practices among dietary staff. During an inspection, multiple small black particles were found on utensil holders, and several forks and spoons had visible food particles and water residuals. Both the Dietary Manager and Registered Dietician confirmed that these utensils were not properly cleaned and acknowledged that utensils used for residents should be free of food particles. The facility's policy requires all dishes to be properly sanitized and gross food particles to be removed before washing, which was not followed in this instance. Additionally, a Dietary Aide was observed manually washing kitchenware and then handling clean kitchen containers without performing hand hygiene in between tasks. The aide confirmed that he did not wash his hands before touching the clean side of the dishwashing area, despite being the only person assigned to dishwashing at the time. The Registered Dietician stated that two people should be involved in dishwashing to prevent cross-contamination and that handwashing is required before handling clean items. The facility's policy also specifies the need to wash hands and change gloves to prevent cross-contamination, which was not adhered to during the observed events.