Environmental Health and Safety Essay

Explain which of the following two approaches to enhance food safety would be more effective in the long run- a stronger enforcement program by the local health department, or a mandatory food safety training requirement for all restaurant employees. Describe worker behaviors that may promote or compromise food safety. Provide two examples. Describe the top one recommendation you would give to the public to prevent being bit by mosquitoes that may transmit West Nile Virus. Justify your choice. Describe the top one recommendation you would give to the community to control the mosquito population in the community. It is my recommendation to implement a mandatory food safety training requirement for all restaurant employees. In order for this process to be effective education is very important. If restaurant employees are not educated on proper food handling, preparation, cleaning procedures in the kitchen they are destined to fail any type of standards and inspections. Because of the lack of funding and other resources Public Health departments are limited therefore establishments may only get inspected one to six times per year. According to Allison Knezevich, a reporter from the Charleston Gazette in West Virginia, â€Å"A critical violation is an infraction that is capable of spreading foodborne illness such as chicken salad that are not kept cold enough, on ice or refrigerated or employees who don’t practice adequate hand hygiene. † She also stated, â€Å"Under the current rules, an establishment can have five uncorrectable critical violations before it is shut down. † (Knezevich 2008). The behaviors of workers can promote or compromise food safety. Questions like why don’t food handlers wash their hands? Why isn’t that food stored at the required temperatures? When asked workers usually say they didn’t realize the possible dangers associated with food safety or lack thereof. As a food service manager you have to influence the workers behaviors to achieve an acceptable change and implement consequences if changes are not met, increase awareness of a need for change, promote awareness and employ reminder systems, provide training and guidance in performing the action, use verbal reinforcement, and demonstrate desired behaviors. Jenkins-McLean, 2004) How does this get accomplished? Demonstrate proper hand washing, use examples of restaurant foodborne outbreaks, involve the staff in mock inspections, and possibly have weekly meetings to re-emphasize key food protection points. When this occurs you will have a restaurant staff that not only exhibits proper worker behavior, but also understands why food safety is an extremely important issue and food Preparation is even more complex than ever. Ultimately mandating educational programs and professional training for restaurant employees is the best way to limit the spread of foodborne illness and promote healthy food safety practices. By doing this you will reduce the number of reportable public health illnesses that occur as a result of improper food preparation or handling. Being one of the most abundant insects in the world mosquitos have in some way made life miserable of every person on the planet be it a skin irritation caused from the saliva from the mosquito. A more serious consequence of some types of mosquito bites is the transmission of serious diseases such as dengue fever, malaria, different forms of encephalitis to include â€Å"West Nile Virus which has affected over 30,000 people in the U. S. since 1999†(EPA 2012). There are about 200 different species of mosquitos that live in the United States, and they all live in specific habitats, exhibit behaviors unique to its species and prey on different types of animals but all of these different species of mosquitoes have one thing in common they all have a four-stage life cycle. Humans aren’t the only creatures who can be infected by mosquitos other mammals such as dogs and horses can be afflicted with such diseases as dog heart worms, West Nile Virus and eastern equine encephalitis in horses. All mosquitos lay their eggs in standing water but if the water has predators such as fish and dragonfly nymphs in it they will not and if they do the eggs will be eaten. Other sites in which other species lay their eggs include buckets, old tires, tree holes, and potted plant trays. One of the most dangerous and annoying species such as the Asian tiger come from these types of sites. As a Healthcare Administrator of a local health clinic faced with the problem of mosquitos in your community I would put together a small task force of educators and pest control works to hold a class in a large enough building to accommodate the community members and the class would be on how to protect yourself from biting mosquitos, and the risk of being infected with by deadly disease. The community members will be taught how to apply insect repellent to all exposed skin, how to choose the right type of repellent so that you and your family can enjoy the outside more, what to look for in the ingredients used. They will also be taught that it is very important not to get the repellent into the eyes, mouth, and open sores on the skin because it would burn. â€Å"If you are going to be outside during the hours of dusk and dawn it is wise to spray on a repellent containing permethrin because most mosquitoes can and will bite through thin clothing† (EPA 2012). If the weather permits another method of ensuring you are not bitten is to wear long sleeve shirts and long pants which act as another barrier of protection. To protect infants and the young place some type of netting over the carriers. When you are in the home make sure that any broken windows are replaced and if you like to have the windows open install door and window screens. The recommendations I would give to the community as a whole is to try to reduce the number of habitats mosquitos use to lay their eggs in by dumping all sources of standing water. If you have a pool make sure it’s chlorinated on a regular basis, empty birdbaths at least twice a week, about one a month clean and or unclog rain gutters, if you see rubbish laying around in your community call the city trash collection company to come and clean it up because that would be an optimal place for any mosquito to lay its eggs. Conclusion Ultimately the prevention and control of WNV is most effectively accomplished through rigorous vector management programs at the least the programs should include surveillance of humans and the animals in the area that could be infected with the virus and when the time comes implementation of the appropriate control measures.