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If you have any questions about the Permit Fee or Invoice, please contact the Billing Clerk at Environmental Health (736-2866). H.A.C.C.P. – Coming Soon to a Restaurant Near You! A full H.A.C.C.P. (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) program may be difficult to develop for many food service establishments due to time and staff limitations. However, a modified or "Street HACCP" approach will work to most premises satisfaction. To date, you should have been introduced to the HACCP principles by your District Health Inspector. Some food premises operators have already received the green-colored Food Safety Manual. During the last six months, we have initiated a pilot project at a few downtown food premises to determine how best to work with operators in order to develop a HACCP Food Safety Plan. One clear observation from the process is that a HACCP Food Safety Plan for a small family restaurant may look quite different from a Food Safety Plan for a large corporate chain restaurant. The second point is for operators to see a Financial Benefit using HACCP principles as well as a Food Safety Benefit. Minimizing food wastage and reducing equipment repairs are obvious financial benefits. The third observation is the need for the Health Board to provide operators with support in the form of signs, resource materials and consultation.
Background: In the G.V.R.D., local by-laws will, in most cases, require all hospitality industry establishments to be 100% smoke-free after January 1, 2000. Depending on the municipality, some exceptions may exist, for example, allowing smoking in separately ventilated indoor smoking rooms or on patios. More significantly, the Workers’ Compensation Board requirement to protect employees from exposure to second-hand smoke will take full force and effect in the hospitality industry on January 1, 2000. What exactly does this mean? A lot of confusion, incomplete information and even erroneous information have been generated around the introduction of these provisions. The following Questions and Answers (based on information provided by the WCB) should assist in clarifying what your responsibilities and options will be as an operator in the hospitality industry. Q: What are the requirements of the WCB? A: A: The WCB regulation consists of three elements: a requirement for the employer to control the exposure of workers to second-hand smoke; a set of requirements for a designated smoking area should an employer wish to provide one; and a provision that brings the requirements into effect in two stages. Most "non-public" workplaces were required to comply fully after April 15, 1998, with the requirements becoming fully effective in public workplaces in January, 2000. Q: Don’t local by-laws just duplicate the WCB requirements? A: The WCB and local by-law requirements deal with separate but complementary responsibilities. The WCB has a mandate to protect the health of workers such as bartenders and servers while local by-laws are primarily intended to protect the health of the public, your patrons. Q: Does the public (your customers) support the requirement to control second-hand smoke? A: Yes. In 1997, Angus Reid conducted an extensive B.C.-wide survey, with over 80% of respondents agreeing that workers have a right to smoke-free workplaces and almost 75% supporting local by-laws barring smoking in indoor public places. This reflects the cultural shift that recognizes that there are real health risks in smoking and that, while it may be okay to take on those risks as an individual, it’s not okay to expose others to it. Q: Won’t these by-laws and WCB regulations mean job loss and business closures – economic impact? A: There is no evidence that protecting workers from second-hand smoke hurts business. In fact, the experience of other North American jurisdictions, such as California, New York City and Massachusetts is that there is no negative economic impact due to the non-smoking requirements. This should not come as a surprise, since more than 75% of G.V.R.D. residents do not smoke and these non-smokers have consistently indicated that they would patronize hospitality facilities if non-smoking policies were implemented. Q: Hasn’t the WCB accepted ventilation (Clean Air Strategies) as meeting their smoke-free requirements? A: The WCB has received a submission that proposes general ventilation improvements as a way of protecting workers and the public from exposure to second-hand smoke. Occupational hygiene specialists with the Board have reviewed the proposal and will be advising the proponents of their conclusions. The problem is that the submission appears to suggest there is a safe level of exposure to tobacco smoke and neither the WCB nor any other regulatory agency knows of a safe level of exposure. Q: But we’re hearing that the World Health Organization has said there isn’t as much danger from second-hand smoke as previously thought. How can you contradict the WHO? A: That statement is inaccurate and misleading. In fact, the WHO study did show that second-hand smoke is harmful, that there is a correlation between workplace exposure to second-hand smoke and cancer. In addition, second-hand smoke has been shown to cause hardening of the arteries and heart disease, breathing difficulties, bronchitis, eye, nose and throat irritation, and can also cause asthmatic attacks in asthma sufferers. It’s significant to note that a recently released study from California concluded that the establishment of smoke-free bars in California (January 1/98) was associated with a rapid improvement in respiratory health for bartenders in that state.
by Domenic Losito, M.B.A., R.E.H.O. Welcome to 1999 – are you ready for the "Year2000"? Or, put another way, how many of you are in an appropriate state of Y2K readiness? Like me, I expect that you’ve been receiving letters from clients and suppliers asking if your company or restaurant is Y2K compliant. Like most organizations, I’m sure you have already put in place a Year 2000 compliance plan. You’ve probably consulted with the Restaurant Association, your chartered accountant or lawyer and your counterparts about the need to take some preventative steps in advance of January 1, 2000. You may even have completed a Y2K inventory of your computerized systems, recognizing that a growing segment of the hospitality industry is computer-dependent. You may even feel that you’re in a high state of readiness for whatever happens (or doesn’t happen) on January 1, 2000. But are we really ready? This article seeks to help you answer that question. Introduction: The Y2K problem exists because many automated processes have used a two-digit field to state the year instead of four digits (i.e. 99 instead of 1999). It is anticipated that when the two digit number becomes "00", on January 1, 2000, many computer systems will read this to be "1900" rather than "2000". This may result in various types of malfunctions, not only with computer applications, hardware and software, but with any device or instrument that may have an embedded computer chip. This latter category could include everything from telecommunication systems, business machines and electronic interfaces with banks, customers and suppliers, to facility systems such as HVAC systems, elevators, fire alarms and security systems. Overview: Overview: Like a lot of modern-day issues, the Year 200 Problem (Millennium Bug) has elicited a wide range of responses, from apocalyptic to outright denial. I would suggest that the middle ground appears to be the best approach to this whole Y2K issue. The middle ground involves developing an inventory of susceptible systems/devices, conducting a risk assessment, determining how to get Y2K compliance where necessary and developing contingency plans. For the hospitality industry, some of the key issues, aside from the obvious computer software & hardware issues are likely to be related to facility systems, equipment and the ability of suppliers to provide an uninterrupted supply of goods and services in January, 2000. Building issues: The following scenario was recently described in the February 1998 issue of IEQ Strategies’ Managing Risk. "Celebrating the New Year of 2000 on the top floor of a very tall skyscraper, shortly after midnight, you begin to notice some startling occurrences. An embedded chip in a building system somewhere detects the change of date, fails to recognize "00" as the year 2000 instead of 1900, and makes some faulty calculations. The miscalculation passes through the system, eventually reaching the building control software. Unable to resolve the error, the fire alarm system detects a fault and goes into "fail-safe" mode, sending out a fire alarm. At the same time, all elevators return to the ground floor and stay there, while the HVAC systems tries to control the non-existent smoke by shutting down the ventilation system. Somewhere else in the city, another embedded chip in a power substation malfunctions, shutting off power to large sections of the city, including the skyscraper, permanently shutting down the elevators and the HVAC system." The following scenario was recently described in the February 1998 issue of IEQ Strategies’ Managing Risk. "Celebrating the New Year of 2000 on the top floor of a very tall skyscraper, shortly after midnight, you begin to notice some startling occurrences. An embedded chip in a building system somewhere detects the change of date, fails to recognize "00" as the year 2000 instead of 1900, and makes some faulty calculations. The miscalculation passes through the system, eventually reaching the building control software. Unable to resolve the error, the fire alarm system detects a fault and goes into "fail-safe" mode, sending out a fire alarm. At the same time, all elevators return to the ground floor and stay there, while the HVAC systems tries to control the non-existent smoke by shutting down the ventilation system. Somewhere else in the city, another embedded chip in a power substation malfunctions, shutting off power to large sections of the city, including the skyscraper, permanently shutting down the elevators and the HVAC system." This is a plausible scenario of what could happen to the buildings we operate in because of the reliance on embedded computer chips in the building control systems. At a minimum, we should be checking with building management as to their state of Y2K readiness and prepare our contingency plans based on what we hear. There is no doubt that most hospitality industry establishments will be full to overflowing at midnight on December 31, 1999. Are we prepared to deal with a scenario such as the one described above at 1 second past midnight on January 1st? Equipment: We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. We have become increasingly reliant on "digital" equipment, whether that’s as simple as a digital thermometer, or the digital control that operates your HVAC or fire suppression system. Many of these devices may not have any "date-sensitive" commands embedded in their digital chips. It’s worth finding out from your original suppliers which ones’ do and which ones’ you don’t need to worry about. Suppliers: Have you checked with your suppliers to see if they are ready for the Year 2000? What would happen if their refrigeration system, fire suppression systems, or HVAC system ceased to function or malfunctioned on January 1st? Do they rely on computerized systems to schedule your deliveries? Will they be able to guarantee uninterrupted delivery of your essentials well into the early days of the year 2000? " Ready for the year 2000? You Are? What About Your Building?" IEQ Strategies’ Managing Risk, Vol. 2, No. 2, February 1998, Cutter Information Corp.
This newsletter is the collective effort of the North Shore Health Region, South Fraser Health Region, Vancouver/Richmond Health Board and Simon Fraser Health Region. It is written for food handlers working in the food service industry and is produced as a public service to assist you in preventing foodborne illness. If you have any topics which you would like to see covered in a future edition, please call your local FOODSAFE contact. North Shore Nader Massoud 983-6700 Richmond Michelle Radnidge 276-4047 Simon Fraser Jeet Gill 927-2000 South Fraser Gordon Stewart 531-5508 Vancouver Graham Cobb 736-2866
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Revised:
September 19, 2004 . |
Decomposition
and bacterial histamine production can be controlled by the use of low
temperature storage. Good fish handling practices including icing, refrigeration
or rapid immersion of the catch in water chilled to –10C, followed by
uninterrupted frozen storage will significantly reduce the risk. Storage
temperatures above 40C can occur at any stage and poor handling like
improper thawing can cause the levels of histamine to rise. At the restaurant
level, operators need to be aware of the risk and to take measures to prevent
histamine poisoning by purchasing from reputable sellers and ensuring proper
temperature control.
