Uncovered Food Items and Lack of Hair Restraints During Meal Service
Penalty
Summary
The deficiency involves the facility’s failure to maintain sanitary conditions during food delivery and meal service, including not fully covering food and utensils during transport and not ensuring food service staff consistently wore hair restraints. A resident reported that his food was not always covered and that this bothered him because he did not want anyone talking while carrying his tray, as he was concerned spit could get on his food. He also stated that his juice, dessert, and silverware were never covered and reported finding two black hairs on top of the bread of his grilled cheese sandwich on an unspecified date. The facility’s own infection control and hair restraint policies require staff to wear hair restraints and beard guards and to follow regulations to assure a safe and sanitary dining services department. Surveyors observed multiple instances during meal distribution where food and utensils were not adequately covered. During lunch distribution on one unit, two dietary aides portioned food from a portable steam table, and one aide was not wearing a hair restraint or beard protector. CNAs preparing trays for residents who ate in their rooms placed uncovered drink cups and uncovered utensils on trays in open carts, and both CNAs stated that drink cups and silverware were never covered during transport, only the plates of food were wrapped. Additional observations on different floors showed open carts in hallways with trays where the main plate was covered in plastic wrap, but desserts, salsa containers, drink cups, bowls of cereal, and silverware remained uncovered. Carts were left open and unattended while CNAs delivered trays and set up residents in their rooms. Further observations in the main kitchen showed a dietary aide prepping lunch trays with a hairnet but without a beard protector, and another dietary aide in the food preparation area also without a beard protector. The dietary manager confirmed that these staff should have been wearing beard protectors and stated that staff in the kitchen and upstairs portioning food are expected to always wear hair restraints because of the potential for hair to fall into food and contaminate it. The dietary manager and regional food service manager both stated that food delivery carts are open and should be covered with large plastic covers during transport, especially when traveling long distances, left unattended, or placed where residents could touch the trays, because desserts, cereal, bowls, drinking cups, and silverware are not otherwise covered. A CNA with prior dietary and housekeeping experience also stated that carts and all tray items should be covered for infection control reasons, noting that the kitchen was only covering the plate of food and not the other tray items.
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