Site/Food Service Standards, SF

As the President of the New Jersey Camps Government Affairs Project (40 ACA Camps) we feel that eliminating the Playgrounds standard would waterdown the perception of our Accreditation program with the State of NJ. Currently the State Board of Health has eliminated most of it's inspections of ACA Camps except for waterfront and food service areas- this is because, they feel that the ACA Standards cover the other areas. This specific area, if not covered by ACA, could potentially lead us to being inspected by the Dept. of Community Affairs "Amusement" division- the same folks that inspect and certify the rollercoasters at Six Flags. It may seem like a small thing, but to the bureaucrats, it could be seen as the tip of the iceberg melting away our validity. Thanks!

I'm confused as to why we would want to eliminate a standard that would help in cases of litigation of injury. Playgrounds are an important part of "Play" for young children. Many things are learned and developed while at play on playground elements. My local Health Department has standards for playground safety and I would venture to say most state do as well. Maintenance procedures and proper shock absorbency of the surface material to match the "Critical Height" of different elements are important to the safety of the children. Why open ourselves to injury litigation based on lack of proper maintenance. SF-9 was just put in at the last Standards up-date. Let's keep it there.

Agree with Dave and Susie....this Standard is very important. It should not be eliminated. Playground safety is very important and every camp should be doing this. Thanks.

Last sentence in context. ed. says only main food service area needs to have means of monitoring temp.s. This seems like a huge loophole if food is served elsewhere, especially since a simple probe thermo. and basic training meets this need for deligence.

Disappointed what it is inspecting for isn't clarified. Our standards tend to be very precise but not here.

I've always felt this is interpreted to mean summer camp even when user group schedules include greater numbers &/or longer use of site than summer camp. Not sure how to change but still consider this a shortcoming of this standard.

I agree with Dave and Susie about Playground standards. This is an area where the general assumption is that playgrounds are inherently safe. Yet the Emergency Department statistics on children hurt at playgrounds are alarming; according to the Consumer Product Safety Commisssion as many as 200,000 a year!
http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/327.html

I would be interesting in hearing the rationale for dropping this standard. May we get some feedback on why it is recommended for deletion?

If anything it should be beefed up with guidance as to what consititutes a safe playground and better instructions on how to check/inspect playground equipment before use.

Perhaps there should be an additional standard piece that addresses the new issue of food safety training for all individuals who handle, serve, store, clean, support, or otherwise any process involved with camp food service.

The new California Food Handler Law SB602 now requires anyone who has any contact with food operations to obtain a Food Handler Card, a short training program that addresses general food safety, personal hygiene, cross-contamination, time and temperature control, knowledge of potentially hazardous foods.

Currently, there are eight states (California, Florida, Oregon, Washington, Texas, New York, Idaho, Nebraska) with existing food handler laws; and many more have similar bills being considered. On March 14, 2011, President Obama signed a new law for the Food Safety Working Group to explore food safety, particularly produce, issues and how to reduce contamination.

This standard should be mandatory that the food service supervisor possess the federally-required manager’s certification (It is not acceptable to just have someone/anyone in the camp staff possess the certification). It is the manager's responsibility to conduct ongoing food safety training, and without that training themselves they can't meet federal guidelines.

Written documentation:
--Acceptable manager certification that meets minimum federal requirements (one of three federally-approved ANSI-approved food manager protection programs: 1. ServSafe, 2. National Registry of Food Safety Professionals, 3. Prometric)

Playgrounds - I'm sorry to see this standard being eliminated.
It was added in 2007 because of camps that did not have appropriate surfaces to cushion falls. We had observed camps that actually had rocks under swing sets and there was no standard to address this issue. At the very least it should be added to the Contextual Education in SF7 (Facilities in Good Repair).