HospitalInspections.org

O749

Based on observation, review of the 2009 Food Code and the facility provided documentation of the " policy and procedure for safe water temperatures in the dishwashing machine ", and interviews with the contracted food service general manager, the operations manager, and the maintenance manager, the facility failed to ensure their staff had effectively cleaned and sanitized the dishware for 19 of 22 days in November 2010.

The findings include:

1. Observation of the dish machine, in the facility's kitchen on 11/22/10 at 9:15 AM, revealed the water temperature during the final rinse cycle reached an unsafe level of greater than 194 degrees F on eight of eight trials. The temperature ranged from 196-200 degrees F on all trials.

Review of the "warewashing hot water sanitization temperatures" in the 2009 Food Code in Section 4-501.112 revealed "in a mechanical operation, the temperature of the fresh hot water sanitizing rinse as it enters the manifold may not be more than 194 F".

Review of the facility's dishwashing/warewashing policy and procedure, (written on the temperature log), confirmed the water temperature in the final rinse cycle needed to reach at least 180 degrees F but not greater than 194 degrees F to ensure the dishware would be cleaned and sanitized effectively.

Review of the temperature log confirmed the water temperature in the final rinse cycle had not reached the minimum temperature of 180 degrees F on 11/5/10, 11/12/10, and 11/19/10. Staff documented the water temperatures as 175 degrees F, 160 degrees F, and 140 degrees F respectively.

Review of the November 2010 temperature log also confirmed the water in the final rinse cycle had exceeded a safe temperature range of 180-194 degrees F on the following days: 4th, 5th, 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 20th, and on the 21st.

Interview with the contracted food service general manager and the operations manager on 11/22/10 at 9:35 AM, confirmed the temperature gauge located on the side of the dish washing machine, read above 194 degrees F on all of the eight trials. The general manager contacted the maintenance director who stated he could not provide any documentation that confirmed he had maintained the dish machine effectively to ensure the water temperature was maintained at 180-194 degrees F.

Interview with the maintenance director at 10:00 AM confirmed he had not evaluated the temperature logs to ensure the dish machine had worked effectively in the month of November 2010. In addition, the maintenance director stated the water temperature in the dish machine did not reach a safe and effective range and he could not provide any documentation that indicated he had serviced the machine to ensure the water temperatures reached a safe enough range to inhibit the spread of infectious disease.