F0812

E

Improper Hand Hygiene and Glove Use During Food Preparation and Service

Oregon, Ohio Survey Completed on 02-24-2026

Penalty

No penalty information released

Summary

The deficiency involves failure to maintain proper hand hygiene and glove use during meal preparation and service for 78 residents receiving food from the facility kitchen. During a lunch meal service, a dietary aide was observed wearing single-use gloves while handling empty meal trays, then handling soiled trays and operating the commercial dishwasher without changing gloves or washing hands. The same staff member then handled clean utensils and placed meal tickets on clean trays without changing gloves. When meal tickets fell to the floor, the aide picked them up and placed them back on clean trays, changed gloves, but did not wash hands. In a subsequent interview, this aide confirmed that facility policy requires staff to remove soiled gloves and wash hands before donning a new pair when gloves are cross-contaminated.

Additional observations during the same lunch meal service showed another dietary staff member repeatedly exiting and re-entering the kitchen wearing the same single-use gloves while touching multiple potentially contaminated surfaces, including the kitchen entry door handles and the walk-in cooler door, and then handling food and clean plates without changing gloves or washing hands. This staff member obtained various food items from the cooler, carried trays of tuna fish sandwiches, and prepared grilled sandwiches while continuing to use the same soiled gloves. In an interview, this staff member acknowledged not changing gloves and not performing required hand washing when handling food. The dietary manager confirmed that facility policies require hands to be washed between glove changes and after handling soiled items or contaminated surfaces, and that gloved hands are considered a food contact surface that must be changed and followed by hand washing when contamination occurs.