16 Herald - Lantern - Dispatch 2 July '86

Food Inspectors: 'We're Educators, Not Enforcers'

By GREGG LAWSON CREST HAVEN - Henry "Hank" Heacock looks for dirt. Heacock, senior sanitary inspector with the county Health Department, is one of eight full-time inspectors who cover the county's estimated 1,300 food establishments, including restaurants, coffee shops, hotdog stands supermarkets. Their job, Heacock said, ranges from checking temperature and lighting and looking for insect and rodent evidence to making sure employes' toilets have self-closing doors and soap. And although they look for violations of Chapter 12 of the state Retail Food Code. Heacock said their job is primarily an educational one. "A LOT OF PEOPLE think of us as enforcers, but we're also educators," Heacock said. "It's enforcement as well as education, and we like to

How ManyFailed Inspection? CREST HAVEN - The county Health Department knows exactly how many food establishments passed inspection last year, but doesn't know how many failed. "Our monthly report doesn't have a column for closures," said Environmental Program Administrator Clay C. Sutton Jr. "It's probably a revision we should do." Sutton and Public Health Coordinator Louis J. Lamanna on Monday agreed that closures should be added to the report. Sutton and Lamanna estimated that "five or six"establishments received unsatisfactory ratings, voluntarily closed and reopened after passing inspection. SUTTON SAID reinspection of businesses that fail is "automatic." "They are held in a special file and are reins pected as soon as the (owner) is ready," Sutton said, "Usually the guy calls back within 24 hours." Last year, 351 year-round establishments were rated satisfactory and 12 conditionally satisfactory. Of the 745 seasonal operations inspected, 711 were satisfactory and 34 conditionally satisfactory. All the businesses rated ^conditionally satisfactory eventually passed inspection, Sutton said. Last year. 29 seasonal and 8 year-round establishments weren't inspected. Sutton said. Lamanna attributed that to high fecal coliform counts that closed Wildwood beaches last summer. "When we closed the beaches we had to divert our resources (inspectors) for a few weeks because of that problem," Lamanna said.

stress the education part. "One problem in the food business is you get a lot of transients," he added. "They're not that well versed on food handling and, consequently, they could contaminate food." Each inspector is assigned a geographic location — there are two in the Upper Township/Ocean City area, two in the Lower Township, Wildwood Crest and Cape May region, one in the Wildwood and North Wildwood area, two in the Dennis Township, Woodbine. Sea Isle City, Avalon and Stone Harbor region and one in Middle Township — that is rotated every few years. The inspector's visits are designed to catch owners off guard. "ALL OUR INSPECTIONS are based on the element of surprize," Heacock said. "We don't call and announce we're coming, because they would clean up beforehand."

Heacock said inspectors look at a number of things: storage temperatures, cooking temperatures, dishwashing facilities, toilet facilities, equipment and trash storage areas. "It's a matter of observation," Heacock said. "If you know the code and are familiar with the establishment, you know what to look for." During a recent inspection in Court House, Heacock began checking brightness using a light meter. According to the code, Heacock said, work areas must have 30-foot candles of light per work area. "THAT'S TO ENSURE they can see what they're doing and they can see to clean up," he said. "Or if they have a pest problem, they can see it and clean it up." From there, Heacock checked temperatures in the refrigerators, dishwashing area, hand

DorU Ward

washing area and soup i kettles. Temperature, he said, is 1 one of the most important \ aspects in the food business. "A lot of bad situations have occurred when food « was left sitting out," ] Heacock said. "Foods should either be kept hot, or kept cold, but not inbetween." HEACOCK SAID refrigerators should be kept around 40 degrees, and 140 degrees is the "holding temperature" for prepared foods. Dishwashers, he said, should be kept at 160 or above, the temperature that kills bacteria after 12 seconds. "Between 45 and 140 degrees is the danger j zone," Heacock said. "In that range, bacteria that are present multiply very rapidly." Steam tables, where food sits under heat lamps before being served, should be maintained at 140 degrees or above, he said. Heacock check floors and under equipment with a flashlight for signs of insects and rodents: droppings, live or dead roaches, etc.

i •*"- r4r THE LIGHT'S ALL RIGHT — Henry "Hank" Heacock. senior sanitary inspector with the county Health Department, checks kitchen lighting.

WHILE CONDUCTING his inspections, he said, he also observes a variety of things "All the while I'm doing an inspection, I look at the employes," Heacock said. "Do they have long hair, are they wearing clean

MAKING HIS ROUNDS — Above. Heacock checks temperatures in a dish washer and dish washing area. Below left, he uses his flashlight to check for evidence of insects or rodents beneath equipment. At bottom right, he prepares a checklist to review with the establishment's owner or operator. MHH mMk:* j

undergarments, is anyone smoking, are they washing their hands? We look at all these things." Smoking, he said, should be forbidden in all food areas. "When you're smoking, your hands are always in contact with your mouth," Heacock said, "which is where the germs and bacteria are." HEACOCK THEN inspected food storage areas where dry foods, such as flour and sugar, are stored. "What I'm looking for here is whether things are elevated off the ground, if they're in a clean, dry environment," he said. "The idea is to protect the product." He checks to make sure all open containers are covered to prevent insects or rodents from entering. According to Heacock, employes bathrooms must have self-closing doors, ventilation, hot and cold running water, soap, hand towels, toilet paper and lids on the trash cans. The area must be clean, and the toilet must flush. HEACOCK AFFIXES blue and yellow notices to the mirror, to remind employes to wash their hands. He than proceeded outside to the dumpster area, checking screen doors as he left. Flies, he said, are one of the most dangerous, as well as annoying, insects. The thing with the fly is, when they land on something, they not only eat it but defecate on it," Heacock said. "It's a filthy bug." Outside, Heacock checked the area of the septic system to look for signs of overflowing and the trash area to see if it was attracting insects. "I'M GOING TO GIVE these people a conditional," Heacock said. "The temperatures were good, food handling practices were good, the only thing I see is that they need a good clean-up." Establishments are issued one of three colorcoded certificates: white ( satisfactory ) , yellow ( conditionally satisfactory) or red (unsatisfactory). Conditionally satisfac(Page 77 Please)