TAHLEQUAH DAILY PRESS — When John Caldwell enters a restaurant, the first thing he does is wash his hands.

That’s not a bad idea for you to do also, said the man charged with inspecting restaurants and other facilities serving food in Cherokee County.

Caldwell, a Tahlequah native who received a degree in environmental health from Northeastern State University, joined the Cherokee County Health Department at the end of May, filing an environmental health specialist position that had been vacant for more than a year. Until his arrival, sanitarians from other counties had filled in performing restaurant and other inspections locally.

The role Caldwell and his colleagues play in public health received closer scrutiny after an outbreak of E. coli in northeastern Oklahoma was reported a month ago. According to the Oklahoma State Department of Health, the person last reported to become ill with the disease became sick Sept. 6. By that time, 314 people had become ill, at least 72 were hospitalized, 17 placed on dialysis and one man died.

All known cases were associated with the Country Cottage restaurant in Locust Grove, a popular buffet where many local residents have enjoyed dining in the past. The restaurant has remained closed since the outbreak was announced. Health Department investigators are continuing work to determine the specific conditions that created the outbreak.

When most people have lunch with friends from the office or decide to go out for dinner, they don’t worry about ending up in the hospital. And they shouldn’t have to, Caldwell said.

“Breathe a sigh of relief, because Tahlequah restaurants, cafeterias, are doing very well,” he said. “They’re clean, they’re compliant, they’re educated. They know what to do and they’re doing it. There’s not a restaurant that I couldn’t take my family to eat.”

And he’s careful about what his 3-year-old daughter consumes.

“I have not walked into any place with any violations that were a major concern,” he said.

Caldwell was asked how he goes about a restaurant inspection. He finds the owner or the person in charge, identifies himself, and looks at the permit to see if everything is up to date.

“I want my presence known. I want the employees to see me, and I want them to see what I’m doing,” he said. “First, I wash my hands, take the 20 seconds to rub them. It sets an example for everyone.”

Cleanliness is the number one principle throughout the inspection – cleanliness of the facility and the personnel, and the methods they use to prepare the food that winds up on your table or in your carryout bag.

“The next thing I do is get out my digital thermometer and clean the end of it, and start testing temperatures at the prep station,” he said.

He tests the temperature of the grill if it is in use, the temperatures in the refrigerators and freezers. He checks to see if food is stored properly, and if it is marked with the date when it was prepared. He checks to make sure the food is covered properly so nothing leaks into other food containers. He checks for cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods, especially of raw meat products.

Franchises usually supply local businesses with stickers to mark the containers properly, while a mom and pop business may have labels written on masking tape. Either is OK. Franchises also may have employee regulations in addition to those established by the health department, such as requiring workers to wear gloves while preparing sandwiches.

Whether or not they wear the disposable gloves, frequent hand washing is essential. The food handlers manual presents lengthy verbal descriptions and illustrations of proper hand washing procedures. All people working in food preparation must obtain a food handlers permit, which they may do at monthly health department classes.

The average diner realizes restaurant workers must wash their hands after using the restroom (after all, there are all those signs prominently posted in restaurant bathrooms), but may not realize how frequently it’s required — such as when an employee returns from a smoke break. “I can’t stress enough the hand washing,” Caldwell said.

The temperature of stored food is important. It must be 41 degrees or below in the refrigerator, 135 degrees or above if kept heated.

“The cold retards bacteria growth. Temperature 135 or greater kills bacteria growth,” he said.

What about buffets, such as the one at Country Cottage?

“On a buffet, the food runs out fast enough that there’s not a time issue,” he said.

Caldwell explained that food on a buffet can be out for up to four hours without being kept at the required temperatures. If the restaurant has a lot of business or the buffet only has limited hours, that shouldn’t be a problem.

“The tables still are cooled and heated, and we check them,” he said. “If it’s between 41 degrees and 135 degrees, I ask how long it’s been out. If they can’t tell us or they’re not sure, we make them dispose of the food.”

Sometimes a restaurant will pack ice under the salad bar or other cold food to ensure it remains at a proper temperature, he said.

He starts at the back door to see how food is handled at stores when it comes in, and to watch all stages of preparation.

Caldwell also looks at the physical aspects of the restaurant — whether the screen door has holes that will let in flies and other insects, as well as vermin, and throughout the building for traces of rodent and insect infestation. The surfaces must be clean, the lighting sufficient for employees to see properly and ensure they are cleaning the environment.

The inspector checks the ice machines to make sure they aren’t moldy (a pink mold is the precursor of black mold), and checks the pop machines to make sure they are clean and without mold.

“A place that’s really overlooked is the ice chutes for pop machines. Those will get moldy,” Caldwell said.

He also checks ovens and microwaves, realizing that there may be some food particles in them after a lunch or dinner rush. He usually doesn’t visit restaurants during their busiest periods.

Managers are expected to send employees home if they are too sick to work, or have hand injures or other conditions that could transmit disease. Employees with diarrhea or intestinal illnesses should not be working.

Caldwell also checks the dishwashing system, cleanliness of plates, utensils and cooking pots.

“A lot of times when I go into a restaurant, I’ll just stand back and watch – see what they’re doing and how they’re doing it when they forget the health department inspector is there.”

Sometimes, when a restaurant closes, rumor around town speculates that the health department has shut it down. That’s rarely the case. Larry Bergner, the regional supervisor of restaurant inspectors, said he doesn’t remember a Cherokee County restaurant being shut down in recent years.

Some conditions, particularly presence of raw sewage or vermin, provoke the inspector to require immediate repairs and require the restaurant close until those are made. That could happen in a day or two, or could take longer if, for example, raw sewage has soaked a carpet and it has to be replaced.

There are 13 violations, such as improper holding temperatures or cross-contamination, that are ordered corrected immediately and that is done while the inspector is present. The food must be returned to its proper storage temperature within a specified period or thrown out. Local restaurant managers say Caldwell’s visits are a part of doing business, and a way to ensure the safety of their customers.

Amber Hammons, manager of Boom-A-Rang Diner, said Caldwell last visited Aug. 19.

“This time we only got marked down for two things,” she said. “In the back room we have some construction issues because of a partnering building.”

The other concerned the temperature in the front refrigerator. That was corrected immediately.

“It was a simple mistake — someone hit the dial,” Hammons said.

She said she wants her business to comply with the regulations, and Caldwell makes sure it does so.