STAYING INSPECTION-READY
The best way to avoid health code violations is to stay inspection-ready. Treat every day as a possible inspection day and download ServSafe's Self-Inspection Checklist to ensure you’re covering all your food safety bases.
Another essential component of staying inspection-ready is making sure employees are food-handler trained and up to date on food safety best practices. Boston Food Safety provided ServSafe certification classes is the number one choice across New England for comprehensive food safety training and certification, empowering restaurant employees to work safer.
COMMON HEALTH CODE VIOLATIONS AND HOW TO PREVENT THEM
PERSONAL HYGIENE
Good personal hygiene among staff is critical for reducing the spread of pathogens and maintaining a safe
restaurant. When employees don’t follow handwashing
guidelines, wear dirty clothes, or show up to work sick,
they put your entire operation at risk.
TIME AND TEMPERATURE
Certain foods become unsafe when they fall between
the temperatures of 41° F and 135° F (known as the
temperature danger zone) for an extended period.
The longer food sits in this range, the higher the risk it
has of harboring harmful bacteria.
CROSS-CONTAMINATION
Cross-contamination happens when pathogens are
transferred from one food or surface to another, putting
guests in harm. Apart from improper storage, crosscontamination can occur when food is mishandled
during preparation or serving.
FOOD STORAGE
One of the most common reasons for a negative health
inspection is improper food storage. Storing inventory
incorrectly—especially raw and ready-to-eat foods—
can lead to cross-contamination, which is one of the
main contributors to food-borne illnesses.
CLEANING AND SANITATION
While cleaning removes food and other dirt from a surface, sanitizing reduces bacteria on a surface to safe
levels. Surfaces and equipment that aren’t properly
sanitized after coming in contact with food can grow
dangerous bacteria. Sanitizing requires a careful mixture
of chemicals in order to kill bacteria on the spot.
USING THE RIGHT SANITIZERS
Part of staying compliant when sanitizing a kitchen is
using the right chemical sanitizers. The most common
sanitizers for foodservice are chlorine, iodine, and quaternary ammonium (quats). These are some common
factors impacting sanitizer effectiveness:
Most inspections will cover these critical food safety categories:
- Cleaning and sanitation
- Employee hygiene
- Food time and
temperature controls - Food storage
- Food preparation
- Utensil maintenance
and storage - Chemical storage
- Water, plumbing, and
waste
- General facility set up
- Pest control
- Compliance and
regulations
Source: https://foodsafetyfocus.com, https://info.servsafe.com/nfsm
