UtahsRight: Food inspections in health care facilities

By Jessica Miller

The Salt Lake Tribune

Published: February 17, 2012 12:05PM

In their most recent food inspections, Salt Lake County care facilities received an average of five violations each.

Of the 122 facilities, which include nursing homes, care centers and hospitals, inspectors with the Salt Lake Valley Health Department observed 598 food-related violations.

Taylorsville had the highest average in the county, with 11 violations. Two facilities reside in city limits; one received 12 violations and the other 10.

Midvale had the second-highest average, with eight violations. It also had just two facilities within the city, with one facility receiving 13 dings on its latest inspection, and the other only three.

The most recent health inspections of the care centers ranged from 2009 to 2012. Sixteen cities were included in the analysis, as well as care facilities that were classified by the health department as within the unincorporated county.

The data was compiled by UtahsRight.com for a weekly series in The Salt Lake Tribune’s neighborhood section highlighting information gleaned from public databases. The purpose is not to provide analysis of the data, but rather provide the raw information in public databases so the public can analyze the data for their own purposes. See more food inspections at http://www.utahsright.com/h_inspections.php.

The care center with the largest number of food-related violations in the county was Murray’s Intermountain Medical Center. It received 22 violations in a January inspection, five of which were considered critical. The inspector observed raw beef being stored above ready-to-eat ham in the cooler, dented cans not segregated from usable food products, employee beverages not separated from food preparation areas, and a hand sink that did not reach optimal temperature in 30 seconds. They were also dinged for pasta that had been cooling in covered containers that had a temperature of 95 to 103 degrees.

One other Intermountain Healthcare hospital was a top offender in its city. The Intermountain Riverton Hospital received 12 violations in a December inspection, three considered critical. Those offenses mostly concerned cleanliness of the facility, with the hospital receiving violations for a dirty floor, dusty cooling vents, unclean microwave interiors and a mop sink chemical dispenser that did not have an approved backflow prevention device.

Salt Lake County’s Chateau Brickyard was also a top violator. The care facility received 17 violations, five of which were critical. The offenses observed in its 2011 inspection included not date-marking food, a dirty juice gun, a blocked hand sink and lack of temperature control. The inspector also observed soft cheese that had been kept on the counter and reached a temperature of 67 degrees.

Salt Lake City’s John Taylor House also had 17 violations, five considered critical. In its November inspection, the health department official observed raw eggs stored above ready-to-eat food, single-use items being re-used, an unclean hand sink, and employee medicines that were not stored to prevent their contamination into food, equipment or utensils.

West Valley City had some of the cleanest facilities in the county, with each of the three care facilities receiving two violations on their last health inspections. Behind them, West Jordan and Cottonwood Heights had its top offenders dinged for three violations each.

UtahsRight.com, the data website for The Salt Lake Tribune, conducts an ongoing statewide quest for restaurant inspections and other public information, using public records requests made under the states’ Government Records Access and Management Act, also known as GRAMA.