Common questions about inspections

Published: February 6, 2005

Q: Why does the state Health Department inspect restaurants?

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A: The primary goal of the surprise inspections is to make sure food is prepared and handled properly so customers won't become ill. Inspectors seek to educate restaurant operators and employees to achieve that goal.

Q: How often do people get sick from eating unsafe food?

A: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 76 million cases of foodborne disease occur each year in the United States. Symptoms can show up any time from 30 minutes to several weeks after contaminated food is eaten and can include abdominal pain, diarrhea, nausea or vomiting. Most cases are mild and cause symptoms that last a day or two, but some cases are more serious. The CDC estimates there are 325,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths related to foodborne diseases each year.

Q: How many restaurants and other food-handling establishments are there in Oklahoma that are subject to inspection?

A: About 21,000. Officials say 4,859 of those are in Oklahoma County, and about 3,500 are in Tulsa County.

Q: How many state Health Department food inspectors are there in Oklahoma?

A: Statewide, 98 employees inspect Oklahoma's restaurants, grocery stores, school cafeterias and other food handling establishments each year. Establishments may be inspected anywhere from twice to several times a year, depending on the types of food they serve and problems they may be having. The typical inspector conducts between 500 and 600 inspections a year. Many of the inspectors have other responsibilities, as well, including inspecting motels and pools, and checking out dog bites.

Q: What do these inspectors look for during an inspection?

A: Inspectors have a 51-point checklist of potential violations that range from evidence of rodents to inadequate lighting. Twenty-one items on the list are regarded as "critical."

Violations of those items requires either immediate corrective action or corrective action within 10 days -- depending on the violation. Ted Evans, chief of consumer health services for the state Health Department, said nine of the 21 critical violations are considered most critical of all, because they create the greatest danger of foodborne illnesses.

Five of those items involve maintaining proper food temperatures. Hot food must be cooked at high enough temperatures to kill bacteria, and refrigerated food must be kept at low enough temperatures to keep bacteria from spreading. The time food is left out at room temperature must be monitored carefully.

The other four most critical violations involve employees with infections handling food, failure of employees to wash their hands properly, failure to obtain foods from approved sources and cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods.

Q: What happens when violations are found?

A: The state Health Department can close a restaurant if an imminent health hazard is found. That seldom happens. After an inspection, the Health Department inspector will provide a restaurant manager with a list of violations and provide suggestions on how problems can be resolved. When necessary, inspectors set dates to return and make sure violations have been corrected. If problems persist, inspectors create a risk control plan that employees are required to follow. Ultimately, if a restaurant refuses to comply with health rules, the Health Department can seek fines of as much as $250 a day per violation or seek revocation of the restaurant's license to operate.

Q: How many foodborne illness complaints does the Oklahoma City-County Health Department receive in a year?

A: The Oklahoma City-County Health Department investigated 214 foodborne illness complaints last fiscal year. The department was unable to positively confirm any of the complaints. Confirmation requires specimens from the patient and from the food consumed. Rarely are both available. When a complaint is filed, the Health Department will inspect a restaurant to see if significant violations are found that could cause illness. When such violations are found, the complaint is deemed "possible." City-County health officials classified 40 of the 214 complaints as "possible" last fiscal year. An unknown number of cases go unreported.

Q: Is there anything customers can do to lessen the chance of getting food poisoning?

A: Yes, consumers can inform themselves about any Oklahoma restaurant's recent history of health code violations by reviewing inspection results online at NewsOK.com. Restaurants with good inspection reports are likely to be safer. Customers also can take care not to infect themselves by washing their hands after rest room breaks and before meals. When food is carried out of a restaurant, customers should take care not to leave the food in a hot car or out at room temperature for hours before refrigerating, reheating or eating it.

Q: How safe is it to eat at Oklahoma restaurants?

A: State Health Department supervisors speak very highly of the care most Oklahoma restaurants take to make sure food is safe. The state Health Department's chief of consumer health services says "99 percent-plus of Oklahoma restaurant owners want to do the right thing and try to do the right thing." Phil Maytubby, an Oklahoma City-County field supervisor, said one reason so many Americans get sick when they travel to foreign countries is that the food eaten in the United States is so free of contamination that Americans haven't built up antibodies to protect themselves against bacteria and viruses common in food eaten in some foreign countries.

Sources: Oklahoma Health Department, Oklahoma City-County Health Department, Tulsa City-County Health Department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta