Imminent Health Hazards

Restaurant owners are often surprised when their food establishment gets shut down by a regulatory authority. Restaurateurs and managers often cite that they didn’t think the situation was critical enough to voluntarily close down. Or worse yet, they didn’t even know the health hazard existed.

Understanding what an imminent health hazard is and a restaurant’s responsibility during a serious health hazard is important to the long-term success of a food establishment, not to mention the health and safety of the trusting public.

Definition of an Imminent Health Hazard

The Texas Food Establishment Rules defines an imminent health hazard as a significant threat or danger to health that is considered to exist when there is evidence sufficient to show that a product, practice, circumstance, or event creates a situation that requires immediate correction or cessation of operations to prevent injury based on the number of potential injuries and the nature, severity, and duration of the anticipated injury.

… But What Does This Really Mean

A food establishment shall immediately discontinue operations and notify the regulatory authority if an imminent health hazard may exist because of an emergency such as a fire, flood, extended interruption of electrical or water service, sewage backup, misuse of poisonous or toxic materials, onset of an apparent foodborne illness outbreak, gross insanitary occurrence or condition, or other circumstance that may endanger public health.

List of Most Common Imminent Health Hazards

1. Fire
2. Flood
3. No Electricity
4. No Running Water
5. Sewage Backup
6. Cockroach or Rodent Infestation

• There are other imminent health hazards as well, but these are the most common

What Next?

A restaurant owner or manager should immediately and voluntarily discontinue operations and notify the regulatory authority if an imminent health hazard exists. That means lock the doors and call the Local Health Department. If a health inspector discovers an imminent health hazard during an unannounced inspection, this will most likely result in a forced closure of the establishment, a bright neon-colored CLOSED sign being posted on the front entrance, and some sort of administrative penalty.  

Please don’t be the restaurant that gets shut down.