Section 410IAC7-24-119. Duties of the person-in-charge

   (a) When applicable, the person-in-charge of the retail food establishment shall ensure the following:

(1) Retail food establishment operations are not conducted in a private home or in a room used as living or sleeping quarters as specified under section 423 of this rule.

(2) Persons unnecessary to the retail food establishment operation are not allowed in the food preparation, food storage, or warewashing areas, except that brief visits and tours may be authorized by the person-in-charge if steps are taken to ensure that:

(A) exposed food;

(B) clean equipment, utensils, and linens; and

(C) unwrapped single-service and single-use articles;

are protected from contamination.

(3) Employees and other persons, such as delivery and maintenance persons and pesticide applicators, entering the food preparation, food storage, and warewashing areas comply with this rule.

(4) Employees are effectively cleaning their hands, by routinely monitoring the employees' hand washing.

(5) Employees are visibly observing foods as they are received to determine that they are:

(A) from approved sources;

(B) delivered at the required temperatures;

(C) protected from contamination;

(D) unadulterated; and

(E) accurately presented;

by routinely monitoring the employees' observations and periodically evaluating foods upon their receipt.

(6) Employees are properly cooking potentially hazardous food, being particularly careful in cooking those foods known to cause severe foodborne illness and death, such as eggs and comminuted meats, through daily oversight of the employees' routine monitoring of the cooking temperatures using appropriate temperature measuring devices properly scaled and calibrated as specified under sections 235 and 254 of this rule.

(7) Employees are using proper methods to rapidly cool potentially hazardous foods that are not held hot or are not for consumption within four (4) hours, through daily oversight of the employees' routine monitoring of food temperatures during cooling.

(8) Consumers who order raw or partially cooked ready-to-eat foods of animal origin are informed as specified under section 196 of this rule that the food is not cooked sufficiently to ensure its safety.

(9) Employees are properly sanitizing cleaned multiuse equipment and utensils before they are reused, through routine monitoring of solution temperature and exposure time for hot water sanitizing and chemical concentration, pH, temperature, and exposure time for chemical sanitizing.

(10) Consumers are notified that clean tableware is to be used when they return to self-service areas, such as salad bars and buffets, as specified under section 249 of this rule.

(11) Employees are preventing cross-contamination of ready-to-eat food from unwashed hands and are properly using suitable utensils, such as:

(A) deli tissue;

(B) spatulas;

(C) tongs;

(D) single-use gloves; or

(E) dispensing equipment;

when such items can be used.

(12) Employees are properly trained in food safety as it relates to their assigned duties.

  (b) For purposes of this section, a violation of subsection (a) is a noncritical item. (Indiana State Department of Health; 410 IAC 7-24-119; filed Oct 13, 2004, 12:30 p.m.: 28 IR 839; readopted filed Jul 15, 2010, 12:12 p.m.: 20100728-IR-410100261RFA; readopted filed Nov 10, 2016, 8:45 a.m.: 20161207-IR-410160371RFA)