Failure to Enforce Hair and Facial Hair Restraint Requirements in Food Service Areas
Penalty
Summary
Surveyors identified a deficiency in the facility’s failure to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards and its own policy for hair restraints in the kitchen and serving areas. The facility’s Dietary Employee Personal Hygiene policy required all dietary staff to wear hair restraints, including hair nets, hats, and beard restraints, to prevent hair from contacting food, and the FDA Food Code 2022 required food employees to wear hair and beard restraints to keep hair from contacting exposed food. Despite these requirements, multiple staff members with facial hair greater than 1/2 inch were observed in the kitchen and at the serving line without facial hair nets while food was being prepared and served. One staff member was observed preparing lunch with a hair net but no facial hair net, and another CNA with facial hair applied a hair net but no facial hair net before entering the kitchen to obtain milk and wash hands behind the serve-out line. Additional observations showed a NA with facial hair repeatedly washing hands at the sink behind the serve-out line and opening the kitchen entry to request items without wearing a hair net or facial hair net. A dietary aide with a ball cap and no facial hair net prepared items and resident meal plates at the serving line, and two cooks with ball caps and facial hair greater than 1/2 inch worked in the kitchen and at the grill without facial hair nets. During interviews, the Dietary Manager, DON, and Administrator all acknowledged that staff entering the kitchen or passing the serve-out line should wear hair nets and facial hair nets when indicated, and several staff members confirmed that facial hair nets were required but reported that beard nets or facial hair nets were not currently available from the facility’s vendor or in the kitchen. These observations and interviews demonstrated that the facility did not follow its own policy or the FDA Food Code requirements for hair and facial hair restraints during food preparation and service.
We Help Long-Term Care Teams Stay Survey-Ready
We process and analyze inspection reports and plan of correction using AI to extract insights and trends so providers can improve care quality and stay ahead of compliance risks.