F0812

E

Failure to Maintain Hot Water and Monitor Dish Machine Temperatures for Kitchen Sanitation

Fort Wayne, Indiana Survey Completed on 01-21-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to maintain appropriate hot water temperatures and to consistently monitor dish machine temperatures needed for kitchen sanitation, affecting meals prepared for 45 of 47 residents. A dietary staff member responsible for dishwashing reported that he was supposed to complete the dishwasher temperature log at each meal but was unsure how to determine the readings and did not know why the log was not current. He stated that water at the hand sink was usually only cool and that the dish sinks had cold water due to a water heater problem that had been ongoing for several months. To compensate, he boiled water on the stove and poured it into the sink, mixing it with cold water for washing and sanitizing dishes and preparing sanitizer water for wiping surfaces, but he did not measure the final water temperature and had not been given clear policy guidance on how to proceed during a water heater failure.

Record review of the High Temperature Dish Machine log showed multiple missing wash and rinse temperature entries across numerous meal times, despite policy requiring temperatures to be recorded at breakfast, noon, and evening meals. The Assistant Dietary Manager stated there was no corporate policy on handling hot water failure, confirmed that water heater problems had persisted for about seven months, and acknowledged that staff heated water on the stove for soaking and sanitizing because the sinks did not provide sufficiently hot water, while also being unaware of any concrete plan to resolve the hot water issue or the reason for missing log entries. The Dietary Manager similarly reported there was no company policy for water temperature failure and described an informal practice of using a pot placed in the dish machine to capture hot water for sinks, while stating that dish machine temperatures should be logged with the first load each morning. The Maintenance Director reported that the water heater serving the kitchen and laundry had been replaced and then began malfunctioning months later, that a contractor had recommended replacement, and that quotes had been submitted to corporate without a replacement date established. Existing written policies required verification and frequent monitoring of dish machine temperatures and specified minimum temperatures for manual dishwashing and sanitizer preparation, which were not consistently followed under the prolonged hot water failure.