Elevated Risk Plan

About the Program

Category: Health (Best in Category)

Year: 2018

The County of San Bernardino Department of Public Health Environmental Health Services (EHS) is dedicated to improving the quality of life for all residents and visitors by protecting public health, promoting safety, and preventing environmental hazards. As the agency designated by the State and the County to enforce food laws and regulations, EHS aims to have a standardized food protection program that focuses on reducing and eliminating the risks factors that cause foodborne illness (FBI). Upon reviewing inspection data, EHS found that many food facilities habitually present a higher risk to the public due to multiple and/or repeating critical violations that could cause a FBI. To overcome this, EHS implemented an Elevated Risk Plan in July 2016. It is based on Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) principles and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) risk factors. This is a step by step plan that focuses on food facilities that present a higher or elevated risk and provides them with the tools and resources necessary to assist them gaining food safety knowledge and achieving long-term compliance. As of December 2017, 77% of the identified high risk facilities have decreased their critical violations on subsequent unannounced scored inspections.