[00:00:01]
IS HOME TO A POPULATION OF ALMOST 300,000[Health Department Tier Based System for Restaurant Grease Trap Inspections]
RESIDENTS AND IS A VERY CULTURALLY DIVERSE AREA.WE HAVE OVER 1700 FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS WITH A WIDE RANGE OF FOOD FAIR THAT LEADS TO A HIGH CONTRIBUTION OF FAT SOILS AND GREASE TO THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM.
ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH ARE BOTH VERY IMPORTANT FOR NOT ONLY OUR RESIDENTS, BUT OUR VISITORS.
IT ENHANCES QUALITY OF LIFE IN THE CITY OF PLANO AND IMPROVES THE VISITING EXPERIENCE FOR THOSE THAT COME THROUGH PLANO.
IN THIS INSTANCE, FOR GREASE TRAPS, IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO MAINTAIN THEM SO THAT WE'RE PROTECTING BOTH PUBLIC HEALTH AND THE ENVIRONMENT FROM SANITARY SEWER OVERFLOWS THAT CAN OCCUR WHEN GREASE TRAPS ARE NOT MAINTAINED PROPERLY.
A GREASE TRAP IS UTILIZED FOR FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS IN ORDER TO CATCH FATS, OILS, AND GREASE, WHICH CAN COME FROM A VARIETY OF FOOD CONTENTS THAT GO DOWN WASTEWATER SYSTEMS. SO ANYTIME A RESTAURANT SENDS WASTEWATER DOWN THEIR SINKS THAT CONTAINS FAT SOILS AND GREASE FROM THEIR FOOD PRODUCTS, IT'S BEING CAUGHT IN THIS GREASE TRAP, PREVENTING IT FROM TRAVELING FURTHER DOWN THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM SO THAT IT PREVENTS CLOGS AND SUBSEQUENT SEWER OVERFLOWS WHEN THE WASTEWATER SYSTEM IS OVERLOADED FROM THESE TYPES OF PRODUCTS.
IN 2018, UH, WHEN WE FIRST WENT INTO HAVING OUR ORDINANCE FOR GREASE TRAPS, UH, WE INITIALLY WENT INTO THE PROGRAM DOING ALL FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS AND INSPECTING EVERY SINGLE ONE OF 'EM, AND WE QUICKLY REALIZED THAT IT WASN'T GONNA BE VERY EFFICIENT.
UM, SO WE DEVELOPED IN A PROGRAM TO BE ABLE TO BREAK THOSE DOWN BASED ON TIERS, UH, SO THAT WE COULD SPREAD OUT THE INSPECTION PROCESS BASED ON THE SEVERITY OF THE FACILITY.
SO OUR RISK ASSESSMENT THAT WAS CREATED BY SOME OF OUR GREAT EMPLOYEES THAT WE HAVE IN OUR DEPARTMENT ENABLES US TO TIER THESE FACILITIES BASED OFF A NUMBER OF FACTORS.
LOOKING AT THE GREASE TRAP MAKEUP, LOOKING AT ITS COMPLIANCE HISTORY, LOOKING AT ITS SIZE, THOSE TYPES OF COMPONENTS HELP US TO THEN GIVE IT A TIER ONE, TWO, OR THREE AND ENABLES US TO INSPECT IT ON THE FREQUENCY THAT IT NEEDS.
SO TIER ONE IS INSPECTED ANNUALLY.
TIER TWO INSPECTED EVERY TWO YEARS, AND TIER THREES ARE INSPECTED EVERY THREE YEARS, REACHING OUR ULTIMATE GOAL OF EVERY GREASE TRAP INSPECTED ONCE EVERY THREE YEARS.
IN THE CITY OF PLANO, WE NEEDED TO PARTNER WITH THE GIS DEPARTMENT SO WE COULD PLOT ALL OF THE GREASE TRAPS THAT WE HAVE IN THE CITY TO INCREASE EFFICIENCY AND INSPECTION TIMES.
SO THE GIS DEPARTMENT WAS ABLE TO PLOT ALL OF THESE FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENTS, THEIR LOCATIONS, AND ENABLE US TO EDIT A MAP WITH THE DATA WE HAD ON PERMITS, INSPECTION DATES, UH, FREQUENCIES, ALL OF THAT INFORMATION IN ONE PLACE SO THAT WE CAN EFFICIENTLY INSPECT A GREASE TRAP AND FIND ITS LOCATION.
IT REDUCED THE AMOUNT OF TIME THAT INSPECTORS HAD TO SPEND IN THE FIELD FINDING THE INFORMATION THAT SHOULD HAVE ALREADY BEEN AVAILABLE TO THEM, UM, AND IT GAVE THEM MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO EDIT THE INFORMATION IN REAL TIME.
SO EVERY YEAR, WHENEVER WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO INSPECTOR, YOU'RE NOT RESEARCHING THE SAME INFORMATION.
UH, SO IT CUT DOWN ON TIME AND IT INCREASED EFFICIENCY.
THE RISK ASSESSMENT CALCULATOR ALLOWED US TO METHODICALLY REDUCE THE NUMBER OF INSPECTIONS BEING PERFORMED, RESULTING IN A 58% REDUCTION IN INSPECTION TIME, ALSO LEADING TO REDUCED EMISSIONS, AND A BENEFIT COST SAVINGS OF $32,000 PER YEAR.