(a) Multi-Use Equipment and Utensils. Multi-use equipment shall be constructed of material and design which under normal use shall be resistant to denting, buckling, distortion, pitting, scratching, crazing, chipping and decomposition, and shall be nonabsorbent with a smooth, easily cleanable surface. Single-service articles shall be made from clean, sanitary, safe materials. All equipment, utensils and single-service articles shall not impart odors, color, taste or contribute to the contamination of food or food products.
(b) Solder. If solder is used, it shall be composed of safe materials and be corrosion-resistant.
(c) Wood Construction. All equipment and utensils constructed of wood shall be of the hard maple variety or equivalent which is nonabsorbent and meets all requirements of this chapter, as set forth in subsection (a) hereof. Wood shall not be used as a food-contact surface under any circumstances, except for contact with raw fruits, raw vegetables and nuts in the shell.
(d) Plastics and Rubber Materials. Safe plastic or safe rubber or safe rubber-like materials that are resistant under normal conditions of use to scratching, scoring, decomposition, crazing, chipping and distortion, that are of sufficient weight and thickness to permit cleaning and sanitizing by normal warewashing methods, and which meet the general requirements set forth in subsection (a) hereof, may be permitted for repeated use.
(e) Cutting Surfaces. Cutting surfaces subject to scratching and scoring must be resurfaced so as to be easily cleanable, or be discarded when the surface can no longer be effectively cleaned and sanitized.
(f) Single-Service Articles. Single-service articles shall not be reused.
(g) Equipment and Utensil Design and Fabrication.
(1) All equipment and utensils, including plasticware, shall be designed and fabricated for durability under normal circumstances and shall conform to the regulations as set forth in this section.
(2) Food-contact surfaces shall be easily cleanable, smooth and free of breaks, open seams, cracks, chips, pits and similar imperfection, and free of difficult-to-clean internal corners and crevices. Cast iron may be used as a food-contact surface only if the surface is used for cooking. Threads shall be designed to facilitate cleaning; ordinary "V" type threads are prohibited in food-contact surfaces, except that in equipment such as ice makers, hot oil cooking equipment or hot oil filtering systems, such threads shall be minimized.
(3) Equipment containing bearings and gears requiring lubricants not made of safe materials shall be designed and constructed so that the lubricant cannot leak, drip or be forced into food or onto food contact surfaces. Equipment designed to receive lubrication of bearings and gears on or within food-contact surfaces shall be lubricated with materials meeting the requirements of 21 CFR 178.3570.
(4) Sinks and drain boards shall be sloped to drain and be self-draining.
(h) Food-Contact Surface. Food-contact surface equipment shall be designed for in-place cleaning or be easily accessible for cleaning and inspection:
(1) Without being disassembled; or
(2) By disassembling without the use of tools; or
(3) By easy disassembling with the use of only simple tools, such as mallets, screwdrivers or open-end wrenches which are kept near the equipment.
(i) Equipment Cleaning in Place. Equipment designed and constructed for cleaning-in-place shall meet the requirements equivalent to those contained in subsection (h) hereof.
(j) Food Product Thermometers. Indicating thermometers required for immersion into food or cooking media shall be of metal stem-type construction, numerically scaled and accurate to +2o F. (+1o C).
(k) Non-Food-Contact Surfaces. Surfaces of equipment not intended for contact with food, but which are exposed to splash or food debris or which otherwise require frequent cleaning, shall be designed and fabricated to be smooth, washable, free of unnecessary ledges, projections or crevices, and readily accessible for cleaning and shall be of such materials to be easily cleaned and maintained and in good sanitary condition.
(l) Ventilation Hoods. Ventilation hoods and devices, where installed, shall be designed to prevent grease or condensation from collecting on walls and ceilings, and from dripping into food or onto food-contact surfaces. Filter or other grease extracting equipment shall be readily removable for cleaning and replacement, if not designed to be cleaned in place.
(m) Maintenance of Equipment and Utensils. All equipment and utensils shall be maintained in good repair and comply with the requirements of this chapter.
(n) Equipment Installation and Location. Equipment, including ice makers and ice storage equipment, shall not be located under exposed or unprotected sewer lines, water lines that are leaking or on which condensed water accumulates, open stairwells or other sources of contamination.
(o) Table-Mounted Equipment.
(1) Table-mounted equipment shall be installed to facilitate the cleaning of the equipment and adjacent areas.
(2) Equipment that is mounted on tables or counters, unless portable, shall be sealed to the table or counter or elevated on legs to provide at least a four-inch (102 mm) clearance between the table or counter, except that if no parts of the table under the equipment is no more than eighteen inches (457 mm) from cleaning access, the clearance space shall be three inches (76 mm) or more; or if no part of the table under the equipment is more than three inches (76 mm) from cleaning access, the clearance space shall be two inches (51 mm) or more.
(3) Equipment is portable within the meaning of this subsection (o) if:
A. It is small and light enough to be moved easily by one person; and
B. It has no utility connection, has a utility that disconnects quickly or has a flexible utility connection line of sufficient length to permit the equipment to be moved for easy cleaning; and
C. It is table-mounted, such as powered mixers, grinders, slicers, tenderizers and similar equipment, and;
1. Does not exceed eighty pounds (thirty-six kilograms), or
2. Is equipped with mechanical means of safety tilting the unit for cleaning.
(p) Floor-Mounted Equipment.
(1) Floor-mounted equipment, unless easily movable, shall be:
A. Sealed to the floor; or
B. Elevated on legs to provide at least six-inches (152 mm) clearance between the floor and equipment, except that equipment may be elevated to provide at least a four-inch (102 mm) clearance between the floor and equipment if no part of the floor under the equipment is more than six-inches (152 mm) from cleaning access.
C. Display shelving units, display refrigeration units, and display freezer units are exempt from provisions of subsection (p)(1) hereof, if they are installed so that the floor beneath the units can be easily cleaned.
(2) Equipment is easily movable if:
A. It is mounted on wheels or casters; and
B. It has no utility connection, has a utility connection that disconnects quickly or has a flexible utility line of sufficient length to permit the equipment to be moved for easy cleaning.
(3) Unless sufficient space is provided for easy cleaning between, behind, and above each unit of fixed equipment, the space between it and the adjoining equipment units and adjacent walls or ceilings shall be no more than 1/32 inch (.08 mm) and, if exposed to seepage, the space shall be sealed.
(q) Aisles and Working Areas. Aisles and working areas between units of equipment and between equipment and walls, shall be unobstructed and of sufficient width to permit employees to perform their duties readily without contamination of food or food-contact surfaces by clothing or personal contact. All easily movable storage equipment such as dollies, skids, racks and open-ended pallets shall be positioned to provide accessibility to working areas.
(Ord. 89-20. Passed 1-10-89.)