9.1 Interior Design and Equipment Requirements

Your facility's physical design and equipment are the foundation of food safety. You can have the best training and procedures in the world, but if your handwashing sinks don't work properly or your floors can't be cleaned effectively, you're fighting an uphill battle. This section covers the design and equipment requirements that make food safety possible.

Handwashing Stations: The Most Critical Equipment

Handwashing is the single most important practice for preventing foodborne illness. That means handwashing stations must be properly designed, conveniently located, and fully stocked at all times.

Handwashing Station Requirements

Every handwashing sink must have all of these components—no exceptions:

Where Handwashing Sinks Must Be Located

Handwashing sinks must be:

• Conveniently located in food prep areas, service areas, and dishwashing areas
• Accessible at all times (never blocked by equipment, supplies, or trash)
• Separate from sinks used for food preparation (a 3-compartment sink is NOT a handwashing sink)
• In or immediately adjacent to restrooms (employees must be able to wash hands before returning to work)

Critical Rule: A handwashing sink can be used ONLY for handwashing. You cannot wash produce, dump mop water, or rinse equipment in a handwashing sink.

NSF Certification: The Gold Standard for Equipment

When purchasing commercial food equipment, look for the NSF mark. NSF International (originally National Sanitation Foundation) is an independent organization that tests and certifies food equipment to ensure it meets sanitation and safety standards.

What NSF Certification Means

NSF-certified equipment:

• Is designed to prevent contamination
• Can be easily cleaned and sanitized
• Won't harbor bacteria in cracks, seams, or crevices
• Uses food-safe materials that won't leach chemicals into food
• Meets FDA standards for construction and performance

Common NSF Standards for Food Service:

What if equipment isn't NSF-certified? Some local health departments will accept equipment certified by other ANSI-accredited programs (like UL, ETL). However, NSF is the most widely recognized and accepted certification.

Characteristics of Safe, Sanitary Equipment

Whether NSF-certified or not, all food contact equipment should have these characteristics:

1. Non-absorbent surfaces: Stainless steel, sealed plastic, sealed wood (for cutting boards only)
2. Smooth surfaces: No pits, cracks, or crevices where bacteria can hide
3. Corrosion-resistant: Won't rust or deteriorate
4. Easy to clean: Removable parts; accessible surfaces
5. Safe materials: Food-grade plastics; no lead, cadmium, or other toxic metals

Equipment that touches food must be:

• Smooth, non-porous, and easily cleanable
• Resistant to chipping, cracking, and crazing
• Free of seams that can trap food particles

Flooring, Walls, and Ceilings

The surfaces in your food operation must be designed for easy cleaning and prevent contamination.

Flooring Requirements

Floors must be:

• Smooth and non-absorbent (sealed concrete, ceramic tile, vinyl)
• Durable (withstands cleaning chemicals, hot water, foot traffic)
• Easy to clean (no deep grout lines that trap dirt)
• Properly sloped for drainage in areas that are flushed or hosed down

Floor coverings must extend up the wall at least 6 inches (called a "cove base") to eliminate the corner where floor meets wall—a spot that's hard to clean and where pests hide.

Avoid:

• Carpeting in food prep areas (absorbs moisture; harbors bacteria)
• Unsealed wood floors (absorb liquids; can't be sanitized)
• Cracked or broken tiles (bacteria hide in cracks)

Common flooring materials:

• Quarry tile: Durable, heat-resistant; used in kitchens
• Sealed concrete: Cost-effective; must be properly sealed to be non-absorbent
• Vinyl sheet: Seamless installation; good for dry storage areas
• Epoxy flooring: Extremely durable; chemical-resistant; increasingly popular

Wall and Ceiling Requirements

Walls must be:

• Smooth and non-absorbent at least 6 feet up from floor (or to the highest splash point)
• Light-colored to make dirt and damage visible
• Washable (can withstand cleaning and sanitizing)

Common wall materials in food areas:

• Ceramic tile (with sealed grout)
• Stainless steel panels
• FRP (Fiber-Reinforced Plastic) panels—smooth, durable, easy to clean
• Sealed concrete block (painted with epoxy or washable paint)

Ceilings must be:

• Smooth and easily cleanable (especially in prep areas)
• Light-colored to reflect light and show damage
• Free of condensation (moisture dripping from ceiling can contaminate food)

Avoid:

• Exposed wood studs or insulation
• Acoustic tiles in prep areas (absorb moisture and odors)
• Peeling or flaking paint (can fall into food)

Lighting Requirements

Proper lighting is essential for:

• Seeing dirt and damage during cleaning
• Preventing knife injuries
• Conducting food safety tasks (checking temperatures, inspecting deliveries)

Minimum Lighting Levels

The FDA Food Code specifies minimum lighting intensity measured in foot-candles (fc) or lux:

Light Bulb Shields Required:

All light bulbs in areas where food is stored, prepared, or served must have:

• Protective shields (plastic or glass covers), OR
• Shatter-resistant bulbs (coated bulbs)

Why? If a regular bulb breaks, glass falls into food—a serious physical hazard. Shields and coated bulbs contain broken glass.

Ventilation and Hoods

Ventilation removes:

• Heat and steam
• Smoke and grease-laden vapors
• Odors
• Excess moisture (prevents mold growth and condensation)

Kitchen hood systems capture cooking vapors before they spread throughout the kitchen. Hoods must be:

• Properly sized to cover the cooking equipment
• Cleaned regularly (grease buildup is a fire hazard)
• Equipped with filters that are removed and cleaned

Ventilation must also:

• Prevent positive air pressure (pushing contaminated air into clean areas)
• Prevent negative air pressure (pulling in pests, dust, or contaminants from outside)

Plumbing and Cross-Connections

Proper plumbing ensures safe water supply and prevents contamination.

Cross-Connection Prevention

A cross-connection is a link between safe drinking water and contaminated water. This is one of the most dangerous facility hazards because it can contaminate the entire water supply.

Examples of cross-connections:

• Garden hose submerged in a bucket of sanitizer solution
• Spray hose that can be submerged in a mop sink
• Carbonated beverage system connected incorrectly

Prevention methods:

• Air gap: Physical space between the water outlet and the flood rim of a fixture (safest method)
• Backflow prevention device: Mechanical valve that prevents water from flowing backward

Air gap requirements:

• Must be at least twice the diameter of the water supply inlet (but never less than 1 inch)

Example: If your faucet has a ½-inch diameter, the air gap must be at least 1 inch between the faucet and the flood rim of the sink.

Dressing Rooms and Lockers

Employees should have a designated area to:

• Change into work clothes
• Store personal belongings
• Hang coats and bags away from food areas

Why this matters: Personal items (purses, backpacks, coats) can carry contamination into food areas. Providing lockers and dressing areas keeps personal items separate from food, equipment, and utensils.

Requirements:

• Separate from food storage and prep areas
• Clean and well-maintained
• Lockers or hooks for personal items