Food Safety

 

The E. coli O157 bacterium is blamed for roughly 73,000 infections and 61 deaths in the United States each year, according to the CDC.  Most illnesses from E. coli O157 are associated with eating undercooked, contaminated ground beef, making it important to cook hamburgers to an internal temperature of at least 160 °F. Use a meat thermometer to be sure, as contaminated meat looks and smells normal and can turn brown before disease-causing bacteria are killed.

 

• Wash hands thoroughly* before eating, preparing food, after using the bathroom, changing diapers or after contact with animals.
• Cook all ground beef thoroughly, until juices are no longer pink. Use a meat thermometer to ensure it is cooked to 160 °F.
• Wash meat thermometers between uses.
• Wash counters and utensils with hot, soapy water after coming in contact with raw meat.
• When cooking outdoors, use separate plates for raw meat and cooked meat.
• Keep raw meats and their juices away from other foods.
• When ordering hamburger at a restaurant, cut the patty at its thickest part to make certain the center is not still pink. If it is pink, return it for further cooking and ask for a new bun and plate.
• Avoid swallowing lake or pool water while swimming.
• People and children suffering from diarrhea should avoid swimming in public pools or lakes, sharing baths and preparing food.

* Thorough hand washing is defined as using warm water and washing with soap for at least 30 seconds. In public restrooms, use your arm or a paper towel to turn off the faucet and, if available, use the automatic door opener to exit the bathroom.

 

Grilling Safety

It’s safe to picnic and grill in the summer, but it’s especially important to be vigilant about food preparation.  We encourage our residents to:

• Keep meat and poultry refrigerated until ready to use. Take out only the meat and poultry that will immediately be placed on the grill.
• When using a cooler, keep it out of the direct sun and place it in the shade or shelter. Avoid opening the lid too often, which lets cold air out and warm air in. Pack beverages in one cooler and perishables in a separate cooler.
• Cook food to a safe internal temperature to destroy harmful bacteria. Meat and poultry cooked on a grill often browns very fast on the outside. Use a food thermometer to be sure the food has reached a safe internal temperature. Whole poultry should reach 180 °F; breasts, 170 °F. Hamburgers made of ground beef should reach 160 °F; ground poultry, 165 °F. Beef, veal and lamb steaks, roasts and chops can be cooked to 145 °F. All cuts of pork should reach 160 °F.
• NEVER partially grill meat or poultry and finish cooking later.
• After cooking meat and poultry on the grill, keep it hot until served - at 140 °F or warmer.
• Keep cooked meats hot by setting them to the side of the grill rack, not directly over the coals where they could overcook. At home, the cooked meat can be kept hot in a warm oven (approximately 200 °F), in a chafing dish or slow cooker or on a warming tray.
• When taking food off the grill, use a clean platter. Don't put cooked food on the same platter that held raw meat or poultry. Any harmful bacteria present in the raw meat juices could contaminate safely cooked food.
• In hot weather (above 90 °F), food should never sit out for more than one hour.
• Refrigerate any leftovers promptly in shallow containers. Discard any food left out more than two hours (one hour if temperatures are above 90 °F).
• Never leave a grill unattended.

 

Environmental Health Fees

Well Permit - $200.00

Well Permit (non-single family) - $209.00

Septic Permit - $185.00

Septic Alteration - $100.00

Home Evaluation - $100.00

Water Sample - $40.00

Septic Installer - $150.00

Septic Scavenger - $150.00

Water Hauler - $100.00

Temporary Food Service - $45.00

(subject to plan approval)

Sewage Treatment System Installers
Benchmark Construction & Excavation 50014 Baptist Ridge Rd Sardis, Ohio 43946 740-483-2310	Modern Hardware 104 S. Sycamore Woodsfield, Ohio 43793 740-472-5404
Pack’s Backhoe Service Donald Pack 35733 Harper Rd Woodsfield, Ohio 43793 740-472-0648	Precision Excavating Company Joseph T Smigill 118 Green Dr P.O Box 347 Clarington, Ohio 43915 740-458-9086
Larry Fouss Construction Co., Inc. Larry Fouss 2535 Highland Ridge Rd Lowell, Ohio 45744 740-896-2425	JD Love Trucking & Excavating LLC James D Love 36571 Oak Street Lower Salem, Ohio 45745 740-585-2787
D & L Drilling Ron Early 41803 TH 817 New Matamoras, Ohio 45767 740-865-3057	Appalachain Exc Inc Richard Lancaster 38945 SR 800 Woodsfield, Ohio 43793 740-213-0238 740-934-2125
Dornons Backhoe Service Donald Dornon 44592 Game Ridge Beallsville, Ohio 43716 740-926-9144	Doug Yontz / Truax Excavating  Doug Yontz 46800 TR 94 Woodsfield, Ohio 43793 740-472-0877 740-391-2148