Minnesota Administrative Rules

4658.0610 DIETARY STAFF REQUIREMENTS.

Subpart 1.

Sufficient personnel.

The nursing home must employ sufficient personnel competent to carry out the functions of the dietary service. "Sufficient personnel" means enough staff to plan, prepare, and serve palatable, attractive, and nutritionally adequate meals at proper temperatures and appropriate times.

Subp. 2.

Health.

The dietary staff must be free from symptoms of communicable disease and from open, infected wounds.

Subp. 3.

Grooming.

Dietary staff must wear clean outer garments. Hairnets or other hair restraints must be worn to prevent the contamination of food, utensils, and equipment. Hair spray is not an acceptable hair restraint.

Subp. 4.

Hygiene.

Dietary staff must thoroughly wash their hands and the exposed portions of their arms with soap and warm water in a handwashing facility before starting work, during work as often as is necessary to keep them clean, and after smoking, eating, drinking, using the toilet, or handling soiled equipment or utensils. Dietary staff must keep their fingernails clean and trimmed.

Subp. 5.

Tobacco use.

Employees must not use tobacco in any form while on duty to handle, prepare, or serve food, or clean utensils and equipment.

Subp. 6.

Eating.

All employees must consume food only in areas designated for employee dining. An employee dining area must not be designated if consuming food in that location could cause contamination of other food, equipment, or utensils. This subpart does not apply to cooks or other persons designated by the cook who test the food for flavor and palatability.

Subp. 7.

Sanitary conditions.

Sanitary procedures and conditions must be maintained in the operation of the dietary department at all times.

Subp. 8.

Food handling guide.

A current copy of the department's food handling guide entitled "Information for Food Service Personnel in Hospitals and Related Care Facilities" must be readily available for reference by all dietary personnel.

Statutory Authority:

MS s 144A.04; 144A.08; 256B.431

History:

19 SR 1803

Published Electronically:

October 11, 2007