When an incident hits during service
A guest becomes ill in the dining room, a fight leaves blood near the bar, a restroom overflows on a busy night, or staff find needles in a stall. Restaurants, bars, rooftop venues and music halls all deal with these moments, and how they are handled matters to customers and inspectors alike. A calm, organized response also helps staff get back to work sooner.
We can come after close or between shifts when the situation allows, depending on scope and availability. Until then, close off the area and keep food and staff away from it.
Front-of-house and back-of-house incidents
- Vomit in dining rooms, restrooms, patios and entryways
- Blood from fights, falls or kitchen injuries
- Sewage backups in restrooms and floor drains
- Suspected norovirus exposures involving staff or guests
- Needles and paraphernalia in restrooms or alleys
- Contamination of walk-in coolers or storage areas
Protecting food areas
- Isolate We separate the affected area from kitchens and food storage, and cover or remove exposed food and packaging.
- Remove Vomit, blood or sewage is taken up with absorbents, and contaminated porous items are bagged.
- Clean Surfaces are cleaned with detergent before any disinfectant is applied.
- Disinfect We use EPA-registered products labeled for the surface and the concern, keeping them wet for the label contact time.
- Rinse where required Food-contact surfaces are rinsed with potable water when the product label calls for it.
- Debrief We tell the manager on duty what was done and what may need follow-up.
Norovirus and vomiting incidents
CDC's norovirus guidance calls for wearing gloves, removing vomit or diarrhea with paper towels, and then disinfecting with a chlorine bleach solution of 1,000 to 5,000 ppm or a product on EPA's List G, used per label. Vomit can spread farther than it appears, so we treat a wide margin around the visible area.
Questions about excluding ill food workers and reporting go to your local health department. We do not decide whether you can reopen, and we cannot predict an inspection outcome; we can describe our work so you can share it. See norovirus decontamination.
Sewage and grease backups
Restroom and floor-drain backups are Category 3 water under IICRC terminology, meaning grossly contaminated. We remove the contamination, clean and disinfect. The cause, whether a clogged line or a full grease trap, is a job for your plumber or grease trap service. See commercial sewage cleanup.
Venues, patios and late-night crowds
Music venues, honky-tonks and bars that run late often deal with incidents in entryways, on patios, near stages and in parking areas, sometimes after the crowd has left. Outdoor concrete and pavers can absorb fluids, so cleaning there takes more than a quick rinse.
Please do not hose fluids into storm drains. We collect contaminated water and materials for appropriate disposal. If an incident involved an assault or other crime, wait for law enforcement to release the area first, and leave anything that might be evidence where it is.
Your staff and your program
Employees who are expected to clean up blood or fluids should be covered by your exposure control plan under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogens Standard. If a staff member is exposed, refer them to a healthcare provider. Whether your business insurance applies depends on the policy. Restaurants and bars that want overnight work on a regular basis can arrange a service agreement in advance. We serve restaurants and venues across Middle Tennessee from the Nashville area.