Lawrence County Health Department Adopts New Food Safety Program Scoring and Placard Policy
Ever wonder what goes into your favorite restaurant health inspection score? Lawrence County Health Department wants to share with you how the process is handled and let you know about a new update to our program.
Inspectors spend a lot of their time evaluating compliance across broad areas of food safety including preventing contamination by hands, temperature control, protection from contamination, among others. They take temperatures, check records, and look at the overall cleanliness of the facility. Each establishment is inspected twice per year, with additional visits if there are complaints. This applies not only to restaurants, but any establishment that serves food to the public.
Richard Helton, Health Environmentalist at the Lawrence County Health Department said, “The most common violations I see are missing thermometers, no hair restraints, non-working lights, and storage not elevated off the floor.”
Lawrence County Health Department’s Board of Health recently adopted a new Food Safety Program Scoring and Placard policy. The health department will now use an A, B, and C letter grading system on placards that food service establishments must post for the public to see.
Scores of 85 or higher with no critical violations will receive an “A” (Green) placard. Those with scores of 84 or below or with critical violations will receive a “C” (Red) placard. These critical violations could be many things including failure to store food at the proper temperature, failure to clean and sanitize equipment, or poor food-handling practices. The establishments will require follow-up inspections.
A “B” (Blue) placard indicates the facility has failed two consecutive inspections prior to passing the most recent follow-up.
Wondering what violations might lead to immediate closure in Lawrence County? Immediate closure would be a score of less than 60. Additionally, no water available for cooking, cleaning, and handwashing; severe insect infestation; or sewage backup into food prep or storage areas would lead to immediate closure.
You can find inspection scores on the health department’s website, www.lawrencecountyhealthdepartment.com and scores are sent to The Levisa Lazer and the Big Sandy News for publication.
