Joint Environment Health Inspection rolled out in Port Moresby
A joint environmental health inspection by the National Capital District Commission has found that many shops, supermarkets and restaurants in the city are not operating in a clean and healthy environment.
Due to public outcry on social media, NCDC’s Health Division is conducting the operation to ensure business entities are operating in a healthy and conducive environment without putting their customers and workers’ health and lives at risks.
Silas Jonathan, who is a senior Environmental Health Officer whose scope of work covers the Moresby South district, is calling on all shops, supermarket, and fast food owners to comply with the Food Sanitation Regulations Act.
Failure to comply with the laws in place will lead to legal actions instituted against the management of business entities, he warned.
According to him, Central Foundation Food and Clothing shop at Koki was forced to shut its doors for three days after its management was served with 72 hours (3 days) closure notice early this month.
Jonathan said their inspections has revealed that the shop has been in operation under very bad conditions.
The notice was served after inspections conducted revealed that the existence of unsanitary conditions within the building, so it was unfit for human occupancy.
Jonathan added that the floors were dusty with stains, the shelves and the entire roof of the shop-including the storage area-are infested with cob webs.
He told City Sivarai that they did not only find out that the shop was selling blown, dented and rusty tinned foods, but also untidy arrangement of food items on the shelves and storage area.
The operation also found out that there was inadequate lighting in the food storage room with unclean conditions in the ice making room, he said.
It also discovered that food cartons being stored directly below the plumbing fittings which was leaking from the upstairs accommodation sanitary facilities.
It further found out that there are exposures of electrical wirings being installed on the shop ceiling.
The staff toilet and shower room are defective creating unsanitary conditions and posing public health risk of disease outbreaks in the storage and ice making area, the finding continued.
Ward Environmental Health Officer, Abraham Keple said: “A clearance notice will only be issued to shop owners if they comply by fixing their problems we identified during our inspections.”
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