Health Inspectors' Perceptions of the Words Used to Describe Violations

Restaurant inspection reports are widely accessible to the public who may use them to gaugethe food safety practices of restaurants. Words used in inspection reports are important, as they must accurately and precisely describe the violation, but in addition, word choices may also influence the perception of food safety risk associated with specific violations. This is important not only for consumers, whose interpretations might vary, but also for restaurant managers, who consider issues of restaurant reputation. This study investigated 25 health inspectors' perceptions of the words used to describe violations. Health inspectors were asked about their perceptions of selected words in five categories at a quarterly meeting of a food protection committee from the Indiana Environmental Health Association. Results indicate that health inspectors had different perceptions of the words and were influenced by a number of factors. The use of the word "filthy," for example, was associatedwith the highest perceived risk (between 5.88 and 6.08 on a scale of one to seven) in five types of violations and was most often considered inappropriate (between 14 and 18 inspectors considered astatement containing the word "filthy" inappropriate in five violations). In contrast, the word "soiled" was preferred as being appropriate, correct, and commonly used. A significant difference was found in the perceptions of high-risk words between more experienced and less experienced inspectors. Inspectors with less experience thought that the word unsanitary was perceived as a higher risk word by consumers (M = 5.07, SD = 0.84) than did those with 15 or more years of experience (M = 3.92,SD =1.23); t (21) = (2.61), P < 0.05. Five themes emerged there are clear differences in the perception of the weight of word choices, inspectors may be influenced by other factors when writing violations, training can affect how health inspectors describe violations, there are limitations in writing violations,and health inspectors are aware of the effect of health reports on consumers.