Preparing for a Health Inspection

Adhering to health and safety laws is important for many reasons, the main ones being to prevent customers from getting sick in your restaurant and to limit any liability on your part. Fail an inspection, and you could get hit with large fines. Worse, if you fail multiple inspections or don't meet deadlines for improving the conditions of your restaurant, your doors could be closed for good, and rightfully so.

Ensuring that your place of business is sanitary and up to code is part of your job. If you or your employees' negligent actions pose a threat to your customers, you have failed at doing your job.

But dealing with health inspections doesn't have to be an exercise in suspense. With some preparation and practice, you can keep your restaurant in a condition that’s always ready for the health inspector.

Be Prepared

Routine inspections will almost always happen unannounced and can often come during your busiest times. That’s why it’s smart to take precautions to ensure that your restaurant is always ready for the inspector to drop in.

Never refuse to allow a health inspector into your establishment. Not only will it seem like you have something to hide, but it also gives the inspector an excuse to come back with aninspection warrant. If the inspector is required to return, then you can bet that he or she will find something. Whenever an inspector shows up, be cordial and agreeable, and simply let them do their jobs.

Hold Practice Drills

Plan a weekly surprise inspection where you play the role of inspector. Enter the restaurant like a customer would, and search for any issues that an inspector would be looking for.

Download a local inspection sheet, or contact your local health department to obtain the actual sheet your health inspector will use. These rules vary by jurisdiction, so make sure you’re following your local food codes.

Once you have those guidelines in hand, carry out your own inspection. This will help ensure that you cover all your bases. You might even compile a toolkit complete with a clipboard, alcohol wipes, a thermometer, white gloves, chemical test strips and a flashlight to show employees that your drills are to be taken seriously.

When an inspector does visit your restaurant, be sure to walk around with him or her. The inspector will point out both the good and bad of what you are doing, and you can relay those observations to your employees.

Be Extremely Thorough

It may be hard to cover all possible inspection items each week, but it would be smart to find the time to do so. Inspectors will check all areas for compliance. So while using white gloves, inspect all nooks and crannies for dirt, grease and evidence of rodents or bugs. Include the floors, walls, ceilings, cabinets, bathrooms and equipment in your inspection.

Assess 3 Core Areas Daily

Each day, or preferably at the beginning of each shift, take a few minutes to check these three sources of compliance-killing errors:

1.         Temperatures of your refrigerators and freezers, dishwasher water and incoming food shipments

2.         Employee personal hygiene

3.         Risks of cross contamination

All three can kill you in an inspection, so find the time to regularly monitor those areas no matter what. This is especially important when it comes to high-risk foods like raw oysters or mayonnaise, so actively monitor those foods to ensure that they are being stored properly.

Check the Outside of the Building Too

First impressions are everything, so if the outside of your restaurant looks dirty, it will send a warning flag to inspectors that the inside is uncared for too. Check the grounds to clean up any trash, sweep as needed and clean exterior windows and doors. This includes your storefront and anything you may have in the back.

Administer Pop Quizzes

Chances are that the health inspector will ask you and your employees questions that pertain to food safety as well as the tasks you all perform on a regular basis. Throughout shifts, ask employees health- and safety-related questions to ensure that they can respond accurately when it counts. This will also help you figure out who needs training and in what areas they may need it. In addition to this, be sure to print out and post any important information in a high-traffic area, such as putting a list of proper temperatures on refrigerator and freezer doors.

Correct Mistakes as They Happen

Even during your busiest times, don't look the other way when an employee is obviously violating a health or safety code. Stop what you are doing, and correct those indiscretions on the spot, so that the mistakes don't become a routine. Consider creating a training exercise that addresses common employee errors that lead to compliance violations.

Complete Post-Mortems

After you have completed a practice inspection, pull your team together to talk about areas that would have caused you to fail if a real inspection had taken place. If you have employees who don't speak English, or don't speak it well, consider temporarily hiring an interpreter to translate your findings so that everyone fully understands where and why changes need to be made.

Post Signs That Mandate Hand Washing

While you can't monitor all employees to ensure they wash their hands, you can remind them by posting signs in bathrooms and over sinks in the kitchen. Employees should always wash their hands after bathroom breaks, eating or touching anything other than the meal they are preparing. Ensure that hand-washing areas are always stocked with soap and paper towels. You may also want to require kitchen staff to wear gloves, especially if your state requires it.

While you might think that your employees should know how to wash their hands, don't count on it. Explain that they must wash their hands with warm water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Inspectors will observe how employees wash their hands, so don't overlook that important area.

Send Sick Employees Home

You might be understaffed, but don't take the risk of keeping an ill employee on during a shift, as they can infect customers as well as yourself and your employees. If an outbreak is linked to an employee, your restaurant can be closed until everyone on staff can report that he or she is healthy. Following a restaurant closure, inspectors will often want verifiable proof that everyone is healthy enough to work before they authorize its reopening.

Keep Your Records Current

An inspector could ask you to provide all of your records regarding food safety, including temperature-check records, receiving logs, employee-illness records, your operator's permit and other documentation. Ensure that it is always current and ready to share.

If your jurisdiction requires that all employees become certified food handlers, make sure that everyone is up-to-date on their training and that employee certifications are kept current.

Get Rid of Repeat Offenders

If your restaurant continues to fail inspections—even your fake ones—because of certain employees, and they don't improve even after you have provided them coaching in problem areas, it may be time to let him or her go. One lazy or careless employee who refuses to change could potentially destroy your business.