Improper Hair Restraints and Glove Use During Food Preparation
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in food service safety practices involving the kitchen director (KD) and two cook staff (CO B and CO C), who did not follow the facility’s policy and professional standards for hair restraints and glove use while preparing and handling food. During a lunch preparation observation, the KD, CO A, and CO B were seen wearing face coverings that did not cover their mustaches, leaving facial hair exposed while they prepared lunch. The KD and CO A were also observed touching multiple non-food surfaces, including clothing, a cell phone, and books, while wearing the same gloves used for food preparation and did not change those gloves. The facility’s written policy required hair nets, caps, and/or beard restraints to keep hair from contacting exposed food, equipment, utensils, and linens, and specified that gloves were single-use items that must be discarded after completing a task, with handwashing required to prevent cross-contamination. In interviews, the KD acknowledged that the policy required no visible hair, including facial hair, and stated that hair falling into food was a risk that could lead to resident sickness, cross contamination, and choking. He also stated that gloves should be changed when dirty, when something spilled on them, or when switching tasks, and that failure to change gloves could lead to resident illness. CO B reported he was unaware his mustache had to be covered, was unsure if hair restraints were addressed in his food handler training, and did not know the specifics of the policy, despite having started nearly two months earlier. CO C, who started in August 2023, stated he understood that beards and mustaches were to be covered and that uncovered hair could spread germs and get residents sick; his records showed he attended an in-service with a kitchen safety quiz, while there was no documentation of CO B’s participation. The ADM and DON both confirmed that all hair was to be covered and that the KD was responsible for training kitchen staff on hygiene and hair restraints, and both stated that residents could get sick from hair in their food.
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