Be Prepared! Is YOUR Foodservice Ready to Respond to an Emergency?
The last few months, we have been thinking a lot about emergency or disaster situations. While both of us are “half glass full” type of people, we do recognize the value of having a plan just in case! One only has to see the news to become aware that Mother Nature can, on occasion, be cruel (Hurricanes, Tornadoes, Earthquakes, oh my!). Add in situations created by humans (fires, broken water mains, etc.) and it is clear that odds are something can cause a disruption in your foodservice operation. So, being prepared (just like a Boy Scout) is the right thing to do.
In the first blog for this month, we will provide an overview of how to get prepared. Our second blog will cover some action steps in responding to specific types of emergencies.
We finished out the 2019 SafeBites™ Webinar series on this very topic–being prepared for emergency situations. You can watch the archived version here.
One theme of the presentation was to be prepared! This means identifying what type of emergencies could affect your operation, and establishing a communication and action plan should these occur. We strongly encourage close collaboration with your local health inspector—that individual has great expertise to assist you in developing a good plan and will give final approval to your plan. Your state agencies and federal government offices have LOTS of resources available to assist in developing an emergency preparedness plan specific for your operation. For instance, a foodservice located in Iowa has a pretty small chance of experiencing a hurricane while one in Florida is not likely to have a blizzard! But all foodservices, located anywhere, have a chance that there will be disruption in utility services or that there will be an incident involving bodily fluids (vomitus or blood). In fact, recent versions of the Food Code require foodservices to have written plans to address both of these scenarios. Health inspectors can guide your operation’s actions so that you are compliant with local codes, should this situation occur.
The value of having a written plan is that it provides guidance to all staff members. While the person in charge likely has in their head what should be done if a certain event were to occur, it would be very difficult to communicate that to everyone in sufficient detail in order to achieve a satisfactory outcome. Former CEO Lee Iacoccaonce said, “A plan is not a plan until it is on paper – it is just an idea”.
There are multiple resources available to assist in writing the plans. Templates from Iowa State University and government agencies are available.
The emergency plan should support the foodservice’s food safety plan. For instance, a standard operating procedure (or SOP) in the food safety plan outlining what to do if there is disruption of potable water provides guidance to staff in the case of an emergency.
In the webinar, we also discussed the importance of making the plan known to staff through training and conducting of mock drills. Readers of a certain age may remember bomb drills in school during the Cold War while all of us have been in a fire drill or two (or many more!). The purpose of drills is to exercise the appropriate actions to take so that our reactions are familiar, if not routine.
A closing question to ask yourself is “Does my operation have written guidance on who should act, what actions should be taken, and when these should take place if an emergency situation were to occur?” Those of you familiar with the Lion King will remember the song – Be Prepared. Being prepared is a way to lower risks of injury, illness, and loss. Being prepared is being proactive. Risk Nothing!
Greens & Spinach – Please Lettuce Be Safe to Eat
According to the new food nutrition pyramid, we are to eat at a minimum, around 3 cups of dark green vegetables along with other servings of fruits and vegetables each week. That is becoming more difficult as outbreaks such as E. coli 0157:H7 creates bad news for the produce industry, not to mention the victims.
Refrigeration Tips to Keep Your Food Safe
A refrigerator is one of the most important pieces of kitchen equipment for keeping foods safe. In a food service environment, our existence depends on the cooling equipment. The science of refrigeration has evolved from prehistoric times when man found his wild game would last longer packed in the coolness of a cave or packed in snow. Our ancestors harvested ice to keep food cold. Now, if the power goes off, we are instantly reminded of the refrigerator’s importance to our daily life, at home and certainly in a food service facility.
Food Service Hand Hygiene: Basic Handwashing – Part II
Ignoring handwashing as a priority is easy until faced with a crippling lawsuit. Your risk of transmitting a foodborne disease via a food workers hands will never be zero, but the good news is training your crew about handwashing is not complicated. Molding behavior to do it at the right time, using the correct method is the tough part. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention says the single most effective way to stop the spread of infection is through handwashing. Last month’s article was on the physical equipment to help get better handwashing compliance. The most important part is the practice of the basic handwashing steps:
