Your Restaurant: Five Ways to Be Ready for a Health Inspection

Kandace Heller

December 19, 2013


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Health inspections are something that every restaurant manager and owner must deal with. An unannounced inspection can cause problems if the restaurant has not been strictly following all food safety guidelines. Surprise inspections often focus on the basic items on a checklist that some people forget. There are five ways to keep a restaurant ready for a health inspection.

Keep Surfaces in Preparation Areas Clean

The bulk of violations in restaurants come from unsanitary and unclean surfaces in food preparation areas. Staff should take the time to thoroughly clean every surface. This must include surfaces that do not come into contact with food such as the walls, floors and areas behind prep counters. The surfaces should be cleaned using the bleach and water solutions suggested by local health departments once every day or two days. Don't leave dirty rags laying around or reuse them. To keep everything sanitary use different colored rags or keep rags used for floors or walls separate from rags used to clean food preparation areas.

Keep Records Updated

Health inspectors frequently ask to see the records for the restaurant that relate to health and safety. Restaurant owners will want to constantly maintain employee illness reports, training documents and records relating to storage temperatures. Having all hazard analysis and critical control points documents ready will make the inspection go more smoothly. Records should be fully completed by the end of each day.

Review Procedures with Staff

Employees not following the proper food safety guidelines can cause problems like improperly stored or handled food. They can also undo cleaning efforts in the restaurant. Owners or managers should take the time to review all proper food safety and handling procedures with the staff on a regular basis. You'll also want to make sure your employees are all up to date with their food handlers certificates. Incorrect or unsafe actions in the restaurant should be immediately addressed and corrected.

Check for Pests

Pests can go unnoticed in a busy restaurant and will cause serious violations during an inspection. Owners will want to check for pests regularly throughout the establishment. This includes checking under ovens, fridges or other tight hiding places in the kitchen. If you ever notice mouse droppings or a cockroach you need to take action right away as the problem can quickly escalate. According to an expert from Enviropest Rodent Coventry, even if you think the pests are gone, you'll want to have a professional come check because once you get a pest they often return if not handled properly. This will keep the restaurant free from future pests and ready for a surprise inspection.

Inspect All Refrigeration Equipment

Equipment can start to malfunction at any time. Even a few degrees above acceptable levels can make food unsafe and lead to health code violations. It is important to check the temperature of refrigeration units and storage rooms frequently. Malfunctioning equipment should be repaired immediately and not used until temperatures are safe. Although this can be inconvenient, it will keep the restaurant prepared for surprise inspections. In addition to keeping food at safe heating and cooling temperature, make sure you label all your foods and sauces. Foods are only acceptable for an allotted period of time, so when the date passes, toss the food!

Staying prepared for a health inspection requires taking care of small problems as they arise. Health inspections are done randomly, so you need to be prepared at all times. A health inspector's score can make or break your business, so resolving small problems every day will keep the restaurant ready for an inspection.