Public Health Inspections
In the cruise and hospitality industries public health compliance is crucial to survival. Whether inspected by the local health department or the CDC, no one wants to fail an inspection. Not to mention legal and marketing ramifications related to negative guest experiences.
While we do come into cruise ships, hotels, and restaurants to solve existing issues, some of the most rewarding work we do is to periodic “pre-inspections” to ensure compliance with laws, regulations, and company policy. We work with your team to identify issues and develop a training and Quality Assurance plan to raise the bar to the company standards you envision.
CDC Guidelines – The Center for Disease Control (CDC) oversees any cruise ship that enters US ports from a foreign port. Ships must comply with the Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP) which covers anything public health related. Topics include sanitation, pest control, water systems, food preparation, and limiting communicable diseases. Ships are inspected twice a year.
The VSP system is much more stringent than what land based restaurants must comply with. Ships must score above an 85 on a 100 point scale to pass. If a ship fails, it must correct the deficiencies in a very short period of time and pay an addition reinspection fee ( up to $17,940). If they do not pass the reinspection, the ship may be blocked from all US ports costing the cruise line millions of dollars per week.
In many areas land based restaurants are required to be graded on the 100 point system also. However, the entire ship counts as one location. This may include over 20 restaurants, over 30 bars, trash facilities, staterooms, swimming pools, water systems, etc. It isn’t hard to lose 15 points and fail. The bar is set very high according to CDC standards.
Click here to view recent records of CDC cruise ship inspections
We have worked with several cruise lines in the past to improve training programs, ensure compliance, and have an overall better guest experience. Contact us to discuss what we can do to help your team.
Hotels, resorts, restaurants, and other land-based hospitality destinations face a myriad of regulations and standards they must follow. Unlike the cruise ships that follow the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program (VSP), these destinations are typically inspected by their local, state, and federal jurisdictions. While these standards are often lower than that of the CDC, ensuring training and compliance in multiple jurisdictions becomes difficult. If you have multiple locations in multiple jurisdictions it can even become a nightmare.
The good news is the same process applies here as with the cruise ships. The best plan of action is to set a company-wide standard that is above the standards of all the jurisdictions. This way employees can work seamlessly across the company without worrying about local standards. Having regular inspections of sanitation, pests, and compliance to company policies ensures you have no surprises down the road. We offer inspection services to keep you and your team above the standards you envision.
Companies That Trust Us
