7 Tips to follow on your next EHO Inspection

Today, I’m going to talk about EHO Inspections because the way the officer is dealt with can impact your Food Hygiene Rating.

Over the years, I’ve seen food businesses end up with a low rating in circumstances where this was very preventable, had they known how to approach the inspection or how to get prepared for it. It’s pretty simple when you and your team know what to expect and with some basic knowledge you can make sure that your team members are ready and confident for your next EHO Inspection.

Here are seven tips to follow so your next routine food hygiene inspection by an Environmental Health Officer Inspection (EHO) or food safety officer should be a breeze!

1. Be prepared.

Preparation is absolutely key. Don’t just forget about your food hygiene inspection and hope that it never happens, because sooner or later, it will. Instead, take steps to get prepared by starting to understand the sorts of things that the officer is going to be looking at. Then, you can be the one checking if you have these things in place. Surely, it’s better that you check first rather than the officer turning up and finding shortcomings. You might be thinking but how will I know what the officer is going to check? A good starting point is looking at your food safety management system and making sure you and your team are following what is written in there.

2. Be organised.

Keep your food safety management system and your food safety records on site. They should be on site at all times but also make sure your team members know what these things are and where they are. These are things an officer will always need to see during an inspection. It really doesn’t get off to a good start if no one on site knows what the officer is talking about or people are running around like headless chickens trying to find the paperwork. Let’s face it these items should be used regularly and should be completed daily.

3. Be aware of the basic things and get them right.

There are some really basic things the officer is going to check during a food hygiene inspection. Make sure these things are always in place. They’re going to sound really obvious when I share them but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve done inspections and these things are missing.

Here they are:

• Make sure that your hand wash sinks (or wash hand basins) are working. It’s a basic requirement for food handlers to be able to wash their hands.
• Make sure your hand wash sinks have hot and cold water (or appropriately mixed warm water), soap, and drying facilities such as paper towels.
• Make sure that you have plenty of sanitiser or antibacterial spray to clean and disinfect food preparation surfaces and equipment. I suggest you check this when you open each day, as part of your opening checks. If you run out go and buy some!

Don’t let the officer find that these things are missing and make sure these checks are done by you or your team.

4. Be confident.

Whoever accompanies the officer around during the inspection should knows roughly what to expect and how to approach a food hygiene inspection. They should be able to deal with the officer in a confident and polite manner. Remind team members that when the officer does turn up, they just need to carry on working as normal. There’s no need to panic, just keep calm and carry on. It can sometimes help if you take a moment to introduce the officer to your team members. It can maybe help to calm any nerves and also signals to the officer that you’re taking their visit seriously.

5. Be welcoming.

Welcome the EHO with a positive friendly attitude in the same way that you would with your customers. Although sometimes it may not seem like it, they are human too. First impressions are important and you do want the officer to have confidence in your business as soon as they arrive. Staff acting cagey or even totally ignoring the officer during an inspection, such behaviour can raise suspicion. On the other hand, a business that is welcoming signals that they have nothing to hide.

6. Pay attention to feedback.

Let your team know that they should pay close attention to feedback that the officer provides throughout the visit. The person who accompanies the officer around should take notes of anything the officer mentions and any areas they recommend that need a little bit of improvement. In most situations, the officer will write down any actions that you need to take on a visit form or a letter. The inspection is your opportunity to ask them any questions that you may have and also get clarification on anything that you’re not quite sure about.

7. Brief your team.

Let your team know what to expect from food hygiene inspection. You can use my Food Hygiene Inspection checklist to show them the key areas the officer is going to look at. Let them know the records that the officer will want to see and where they’re stored in your business. Decide who in your business will be responsible for taking the lead and dealing with the officer when they turn up to do your inspection. If that person’s off sick or on leave, then have someone as a backup who will step up and take the lead. When the officer turns up, tell them not to panic and to take a deep breath. Smile and proudly show the officer how your business manages food safety.

And there you have it. Wishing you the best of luck for when you do have your food hygiene Inspection, you’ve totally got this!