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Northwest Territories Health Inspection Readiness Check

In the Northwest Territories, the environmental health officers who inspect food establishments also teach the territory's food safety course, so they know what your certified staff should be doing. They inspect against the Food Establishment Safety Regulations, and the Department of Health and Social Services posts inspection reports online, although recent reports are currently delayed while it builds a new way to share them.

This check goes through the basics they look for, plus the NWT rules on food safety training, instruction for every worker, and your permit. At the end you'll see a score out of 100 and the gaps to start on.

Check your kitchen

Turn on JavaScript to work through the questions one at a time and get your score.

Which describes you?
Has the operator completed an approved food safety course, and is someone who has completed one in the establishment during all hours of operation?

This applies to establishments on an annual permit. The course must be one the Chief Public Health Officer accepts, such as the NWT course taught by environmental health officers.

Has every worker been shown how to handle food safely in their job, and could you show what that covered if asked?
Do you check and write down fridge, freezer and hot-holding temperatures every day?

With a probe thermometer, at set times, on a log someone signs.

When you cool cooked food in bulk, do you check that it cools fast enough?

Soups, stocks, rice and braises cooled for the next day.

Is every handwashing sink stocked with soap and paper towels, and used only for handwashing?
Do staff know to report vomiting, diarrhea or other illness symptoms before a shift, and do you keep sick staff off food?
Do you test sanitizer strength and dishwasher temperatures or chemical levels?

Test strips for sanitizer buckets and sinks, and the dishwasher gauge or strips.

Do you follow a written cleaning schedule that staff sign off?
Is stored food covered, labelled and dated, with raw meat kept below ready-to-eat food?
Can staff tell a customer which menu items contain each priority allergen?

Canada's priority allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, wheat and triticale, soy, sesame, mustard, fish, crustaceans and molluscs (shellfish), and sulphites.

Do you check for signs of pests and keep a record of pest control visits?
Is your current food establishment permit, or a clear copy of it, posted where people can see it?

How the score works

Each answer earns full, half or no credit. The 3 questions about things inspectors treat as a health hazard count three times as much as minor ones, and significant items count twice. Your score is the share of points you earned: 85 or more reads as inspection-ready, 60 to 84 as a few gaps to close, and below 60 as needs attention. A health-hazard question that isn't fully in place keeps the score out of the top band.

Gaps are listed by how many points they cost you, so the first one is where to start.

Questions about the Northwest Territories check

Does this replace an inspection by an environmental health officer?

No. It's an unofficial self-check. The report from an environmental health officer's inspection is the only official result.

Does every food handler in the NWT need a certificate?

Not every one. In an establishment on an annual permit, the operator must have completed an acceptable food safety program, and at least one operator or worker who has completed one must be present during hours of operation. Every other worker still needs enough instruction to handle food safely.

What does the full report include?

Every gap from your answers, a plan for fixing each one, and links to printable checklists. You can also open those checklists in a free TenorOps account.