Failure to Maintain Clean and Safe Kitchen Environment
Penalty
Summary
Facility staff failed to maintain a safe and sanitary environment in the kitchen area, as observed during a complaint survey. A surveyor noted different colored particles on the base of the food lid rack, copious black dust on the exhaust fan, and a detached front panel on the PTAC heat/air conditioning unit. These conditions were present in an area used for food service and environmental control, indicating that the kitchen environment was not being kept clean, intact, and in good repair for residents, staff, and the public. During interviews, the Maintenance Director stated that the facility uses an app called TELS for staff to submit maintenance concerns and that there is a monthly and weekly preventative maintenance schedule within TELS, with the kitchen typically coming up every month. The Maintenance Director reported that the kitchen had been inspected earlier in the week but he did not notice the detached PTAC front panel and stated that the exhaust fan was usually cleaned about once a month, and that maintenance would assume responsibility for cleaning the tray table rack, which had previously been cleaned by kitchen staff. The Certified Dietary Manager reported that dietary staff are supposed to enter maintenance issues into TELS using a computer in the office and acknowledged seeing the issues in the kitchen but being focused on something else, resulting in the issues not being reported or addressed.
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