Consequences

Lund says inspectors will immediately close any food establishment that they feel truly poses an immediate health risk. But, he said, they try to avoid that drastic step when possible, working in other ways to urge owners to fix problems.

"We find that most of the managers are willing to comply," Lund said. "Even on the list of closures, some of them may run a pretty good operation. . . . To reopen, they've had to do enough to show that it is safe to be open."

Besides closure, Lund said inspectors can order follow-up inspections when too many serious violations are found. The follow-up visits cost the owners $105 each. Inspectors also can order meetings to develop plans to alleviate problems. And if establishments have a history of poor scores, the health department may order inspections more often.

One tool the health department does not use is threats of bad publicity. In fact, it will not release any information about any inspection unless it is formally requested through GRAMA.

The health department does disclose on its Internet site when a food establishment has been ordered closed, but, Lund says, it leaves that listing online for no more than seven days. Officials will remove the notice within 24 hours of any reopening.

Lund said the department has considered putting more extensive data online, including comparing how certain types of similar establishments rank compared to each other. But that is only in the discussion stages. For now, the only place to see a tally of violations per restaurant is on the Morning News Web site.

Sine expresses mixed feelings about the health department considering putting more inspection data online. She said her group would not oppose it if people clamored for it but sees no such demand now.

But she also warns that inspections are subjective, and she hopes that any information that might be listed would be easy to understand, avoiding jargon that might unduly worry residents.

Sine also said her group views inspectors more as educators than punishment-givers or public whistle-blowers. "The inspection process is all about education and training," she said.

She notes that the industry has a yearly job turnover rate of 72 percent, so it faces huge hurdles in training workers about advances in food safety technology. Inspectors often are the ones who bring such news.

Short-handed

Analysis by the Morning News also showed that many restaurants have not been inspected as often as called for by health department guidelines. Officials say they are close to fixing that problem.