Suffolk SIRF

Suffolk County, New York’s Self-Inspection for Risk Factors (SIRF) app was designed to help food establishment operators create an Active Managerial Control program that includes conducting regular self-inspections, developing Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and eliminating or reducing the occurrence of risk factors that may lead to foodborne illness.  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that each year roughly 1 in 6 Americans (or 48 million people) gets sick, 128,000 are hospitalized, and 3,000 die of foodborne diseases.  The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has identified five risk factors that are most often responsible for causing foodborne outbreaks:

1. Improper hot/cold holding of foods
2. Improper cooking temperatures of foods
3. Dirty and/or contaminated utensils and equipment
4. Poor employee health and hygiene
5. Food from unsafe sources

The SIRF app leads users through a self-inspection process, identifying Risk Factors for illness that may be present, and provides guidance on short-term and long-term correction of these conditions.  After a simple registration, a user links their account to one or more food establishments, then selects a facility to inspect.  The first time a self-inspection is conducted, facility-specific data such as food safety certificate holders and specific equipment and locations must be entered.  This information is saved in the app and does not have to be entered for subsequent inspections.  A self-inspection can be conducted in multiple sessions over the course of a day, allowing a user to start and stop an inspection as their work schedule permits.  The app addresses only conditions that relate to foodborne illness Risk Factors, not administrative, cleaning, or routine maintenance-type issues.