About OSHA Food Service Regulations
OSHA regulations regarding sanitation can be found at OSAH.gov, under regulation 1910.141. These standards cover sanitation regarding restrooms, showers, employee eating areas and changing rooms, garbage disposal, control of vermin, potable water and sharing of drinking utensils, food storage areas and food handling. Employee safety is also a concern, and there are regulations regarding cooking, delivery and storage, food preparation and other hazards. This article addresses sanitation issues.
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Common Areas
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Restrooms, showers, employee eating areas, laundry rooms and changing rooms are all common areas used by employees. The floors of all areas are to be kept dry or a floor covering provided, and proper footwear must be used in businesses where the floor cannot be kept dry. No protrusions such as nails or splinters are allowed in the floors.
Restrooms must be available to employees if the location is a permanent place--as opposed to a location that is unattended during construction--and there must be separate restrooms for male and female employees. Restrooms must also have hot or tepid and cold running water, and soap and hand towels or air blowers must be provided for washing. If there are showers on the premises, they must be kept sanitary with towels, potable water and soap provided to each employee. Food and beverages are not be consumed or stored in the restrooms.
Garbage
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Garbage containers must not leak and should be kept sanitary. Containers should have a lid, unless they can be kept sanitary without a lid.
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Vermin
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A business should make every attempt to keep rodents and insects out of its establishment and should use an extermination program if any vermin are found.
Water
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Potable water must be available for washing dishes, for drinking and for the restrooms and any showers or laundry rooms. Open containers of water are prohibited, as well as the sharing of drinking cups. All employee clothing washed on the premises should be fully dried before being worn. If there is an outlet with nonpotable water, it should be properly labeled as not suitable for drinking or washing. Prevention measures must be in place to insure that there is no backflow of waste water into the potable water system.
Food Storage and Handling
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Food is to be stored in a sanitary manner and precautions are to be taken to avoid spoilage or contamination.
Penalties
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According to the Food Service Warehouse, noncompliance penalties are sometimes as high as $7,000. If an offense is repeated, penalties can be as high as $70,000.
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