Adams State College Sodexho Dining Services Receive Highest Rating (05-03-05)
The Adams State College campus dining service, Sodexho, recently received the highest marks for safety from their executive offices. According to Bill Mansheim, vice president of Finance and Administration, Sodexho received the Gold 100 rating during the February 2005 audit.
Chef Charles Maloney, general manager, received two letters congratulating him and the entire food service team on their dedication and excellence from Kirt Ingram, senior vice president and Rick Brockland, president, of the Sodexho Campus Services.
"Safety is a top priority for Shiran Nathaniel, operation manager, and myself. We want to run a safe environment for students and our staff." said Maloney.
It is an achievement for everyone who works for Sodexho at Adams State College. Nathaniel said, "We train our employees on basic safety when they are first hired, and hold monthly training sessions that covers both food and physical safety."
The food served is always monitored for correct serving and storing temperatures. Maloney said, "We make sure the food is kept at the right temperature while being served and then cooled down rapidly and stored in refrigeration that is the appropriate temperature. We document and track everything and keep records for inspections."
Inside a large kitchen are all types of potential hazards, from deep fat fryers to sharp knives. "Every month we cover two topics one is food related the other safety for the employees. Not only do we need to adhere to the high standard of Sodexho Campus Services but we are very careful to follow all of OSHAs regulations as well to keep our staff safe," added Nathaniel.
OSHA, Occupational Safety and Health Administration is a branch of the US government Department of Labor. OSHA is responsible to ensure safety and healthful work environments.
Some topics the monthly safety trainings include are back safety, cooling and reheating food, personal protective equipment (splash eye goggles, hot pads, slip resistant shoes), personal hygiene, receiving and storage, etc. Nathaniel said, "Once a month we inspect the entire kitchen for quality assurance. We have a stringent policy on safety."
In the kitchen itself all workers are wearing hair nets, many are wearing gloves and there are signs posted reminding the staff to keep hands clean, to not wear jewelry, and how to wear hair nets and hats.
Laura Valverde, safety coordinator, said the reason is to protect the crew and the food, "We don't allow nail polish because the polish could chip off and get in the food. The only jewelry allowed is plain bands so food can't collect in a setting and then fall off in an inappropriate place. Safe food and keeping our employees safe is our responsibility and one we all take very seriously."
