Failure to Maintain and Sanitarily Operate Kitchen Stove Burners
Summary
The facility failed to store, prepare, distribute, and serve food in accordance with professional standards for food safety in the only kitchen by allowing two of four stove burners to remain non-functioning and heavily soiled. During observation, two burners were found corroded with soot and food debris, and they did not turn on when the Dietary Food Manager (DFN) attempted to use them; the pilot lights were not functioning and there was no gas odor. The DFN reported that the two back burners did not always work and that staff needed to contact the Maintenance Director to re-light the pilot lights, acknowledged the visible food debris and soiling, and stated that not having all burners working did not interfere much with cooking. In a subsequent interview, the Maintenance Director stated he was aware of carbon build-up on the pilot lights that clogged the flutes and confirmed he last lit the pilot lights about a month earlier. He reported that he typically cleaned the pilot lights every 4–5 months and that kitchen staff were expected to clean them daily to prevent build-up, but he could not provide a work log to show when the pilot lights were last cleaned, despite stating he had cleaned them about five months earlier. The Maintenance Director acknowledged that carbon build-up and clogged flutes would cause the burners not to light and could create a fire hazard. The Administrator recalled being told about relighting the pilot lights about a month earlier but was not aware that two burners had been non-functioning due to pilot light corrosion, and acknowledged that the work order system needed review to ensure preventive maintenance in the kitchen was routinely triggered. Facility policy required that preventive maintenance be completed routinely and according to protocol to provide a safe, functional, sanitary, and comfortable environment.
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