another visit from the health dept...

[leeniek]

So we had a visit from the health dept today and as the KM was off I was the one who had to take care of things.

Of course I was worried about our seemingly expired ham we had on the line when in fact it was frozen a week before the expiry date and dated accordingly but they had no interest in that..

Seeing as we are a new place and opened within the last year we didn't have them but we are required by Ontario law to have government issue non smoking stickers placed on the entry doors as well as the washrooms, so they came to hand me the stickers and watch me stick them. Apparently if they stick them on and they do any damage we can sue the region so I had to leave the kitchen and do it.

Afterwards we had to go through a checklist and when it came to the one that asked if I was compliant we checked yes and she had said that she has come across people who refused the stickers. She was ready to slap them with a fine (non-compliance carries a $3K fine) but her boss told her to cool her jets and fire off a letter first. Isn't it common knowlege that public places (well at least in my province anyway) are smoke free environments?

So.. that was interesting..

Worst thing that came of it was the kitchen was backed up a little when I got back so it took about twenty minutes to get back on track. Hmm... 20 min vs $3K fine... I'll deal with the 20 min thanks...

 

[discgolfjoe]

I live in a nonsmoking area. I've seen nonsmoking plastic nonsmoking signs in other establishments, but I really haven't seen any the country club I work in. I'm pretty sure some kind of notification is required by the city in public places, but I'm not sure if they're required at a private club. Smoking's still not allowed indoors, but I guess the members are smart enough to know not to smoke indoors without being reminded by tacky signs that kinda bring down the decor of the club. The funny thing is that there's a ton of signs posted all over the kitchen reminding us not to smoke. There's alos one posted over the ash tray of the designated employee smoking area.

 

[leeniek]

I'd suspect the members of your club are smart enough to not smoke inside there lol. Actually it was funny.. the health inspector did ask me if any of the kitchen staff were smokers and she was surprised to find that we have a completely non smoking cooking staff.

 

[maaron]

wow that is rare! Most every kitchen I've ever been in is made up of all smokers. Thank God I don't have to leave the kitchen anymore to smoke since I started using electronic cigarettes! Now I just keep my cig in one of my thermometer pockets of my coat and just pull it out.....take a few hits and put it right back in my thermometer pocket!

 

[leeniek]

Electronic cigarettes? I've never heard of them. What do they do.. give you a niccotine shot when you need it?

I don't know about my kitchenmates but my parents were both heavy smokers when I was growing up and the one thing that has always totally grossed me out about smoking is the ashtrays. My mom would put them right in the dishwater and even though the dinner plates and cutlery were already dried and put away when she did this it always disgusted me. Because of that smoking has just never appealed to me.

 

[discgolfjoe]

Woah! A kitchen run by a bunch of non-smokers? What is this world coming to?!?

Really, though, congrats on that. Smoking at work really does affect a lot of things from labor cost to how guests see (or smell) the staff when the appear in the dining room. I really hate going out front when I know I smell like cigarettes. Every now and then I'll give myself a squirt with glass cleaner on my way to a table. Maybe they'll think I was cleaning something....

 

[leeniek]

It is surprising I know to find a kitchen full of non smokers but apparently we do exist. Actually this is the second time I have worked in kitchen with non smoking staff. I worked at a workplace cafeteria and it was just the chef and I in the back and we were both non smokers too.

 

[maaron]

Electronic cigarettes are comprised of a lithium ion battery(which looks like the white paper part on a normal cig) and a cartridge(which looks like the butt of a normal cig) The cartridge screws on to the battery and contains liquid nicotine and the flavoring. When you take a hit, a sensor turns the battery on and heats up an atomizer in the cartridge which vaporizes the liquid nicotine mixture which you inhale just like smoke from a real cig. It feels just like smoking except there are no chemicals or carcinogens in it ......just some water vaopr,nicotine and the flavoring. It is a **** of a lot cheaper than smoking real cigs and no health effects. This last month I have only spent $50 on cartridges(called cartomizers from the company I use) when I would have spent about $170 on regular cigs buying a pack a day. I have only been using an electronic cigarette for about four months and I can already breathe,taste and smell better than I have for years!! Oh plus they don't fall under the no smoking laws since there is no tobacco or burning.....just vaporized liquid that doesn't smell like anything and dissapears a few seconds after you exhale it! Even though Ohio went smoke free in buildings about 5 years ago I can now "smoke" inside at bars or wherever else(like my kitchen)eace:I love it! Sorry I didn't mean to make it sound like I was making a sales pitch but this has changed my life huge already and am trying to get the word out to all the smokers I can! Sorry one more thing......the company I use(vapor4life.com) has about 100 flavors to choose from right now,anything from regular and menthol tobacco flavors to red bull and coconut cream pie flavors! Anyone interested can go to vapor4life.com to order stuff or go to e-cigarette-forum.com to find any and all info you want on e-cigs. If you go to the forums scroll down to the supporting suppliers section and click on the vapor4life subforum to check them out(I have the same screen name there) Sorry again for the long rant but I love not smoking anymore and I used to love smoking! Anyone who has questions feel free to pm me.

 

[discgolfjoe]

PM sent, but how does the management, other staff members and health department feel about e-cigs in the kitchen? Do you pull it out right in the middle of a dinner rush, or do you hide out in the cooler for a couple minutes?

 

[maaron]

other management doesn't mind at all that I use it and I've converted two kitchen employees and about 4 foh staff also! I just pull it out of my thermometer pocket whenever I feel a nicotine craving, take a few hits and put it right back! Of course I let other management know about it and told them it isn't included in any no smoking laws and they were cool with it. I don't think the health department would mind too much as long as they didn't see you do it on the line and you washed your hands after using it.

 

[dscheidt]

Nicotine itself is a probable carcinogen. It's certainly a contributor to cardiovascular disease. It'll kill you, don't worry.

 

[maaron]

Nicotine is not a carcinogen. The only bad effect it has shown to have the body is high blood pressure which can less to cardiovascular disease....which I am not saying is a good thing but I will take that over smoking regular cigarettes which have thousands of chemicals and carcinogens in them. I have only been using electronic cigarettes for about 4 months but I can already breathe MUCH better and my sense of taste and smell are starting to come back. My doctor is very happy with the improvement of my lungs just after the first few months!

 

[just jim]

Even though you note it as a health department issue, I'm assuming there's a washing of the hands after you place and retrieve the e-cig from your mouth anyhow.