Following Up On DOH Rating System
As part of the City Council’s oversight of the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) and in response to alleged concerns raised by restaurateurs regarding the restaurant inspection process, the legislature has announced the launch of a comprehensive restaurant inspection survey.
Restaurant owners and operators are being urged to participate in this effort to gather information on food safety inspections, with particular emphasis on the recently implemented letter grading system and its impact on city restaurants.
The survey is available online at www.surveymonkey.com/restaurantinspection and accessible through the Council’s website at www.council.nyc.gov. The questionnaire will also be available in six different languages.
The survey results will provide a
–SEE SURVEY ON PG. 28- foundation for an oversight hearing planned for late February, where the Council intends to further explore the inspection process and possible areas for reform.
“I am troubled by the wave of complaints the Council has received from restaurants-even the ones that get As-about the fairness and inconsistency of the food safety inspection process,” said Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn. “Any initiative-especially 18 months after establishment-calls for scrutiny. With this survey, we hope to learn more about what is and isn’t working, including whether the grading system has been implemented fairly. The participation of restaurateurs in this analysis is critical, and we look forward to hearing their input.”
Divided into two sections, the first part of the survey seeks background information about the food establishment and solicits views on DOHMH’s inspection process and the letter grading system. The second section requests recent historical data about experiences with inspections and adjudication in administrative tribunals.
Specifically, this section seeks details about violations issued during each inspection from 2008 to the present, along with costs accrued in connection with the payment of fines, consultants and improvements. Survey participants are encouraged to answer as many questions as possible.
“As part of our oversight responsibility, we at the Council must ensure that while our Department of Health works to protect the safety and wellbeing of New Yorkers when consuming food prepared in a restaurant, that it does so fairly,” said Health Committee Chair Maria del Carmen Arroyo. “We have received many complaints from restaurateurs to the contrary, and we hope this survey can provide us with data that can help us correct inefficiencies or inconsistencies in the Department’s inspection process.”
In July 2010, DOHMH began requiring food service establishments to post letter grades corresponding with scores reflecting sanitary inspections during which restaurants receive points for violations. An inspection score of 0-13 violation points is an A, 14-27 violation points is a B, and 28 or more violation points is a C. Grade cards are meant to be clearly visible to the public.
