A toilet at a food premises in Sibu that achieved a five-star rating.
SIBU (March 14): Sibu Municipal Council (SMC) is committed to ensuring that all toilets in eateries and public areas under its jurisdiction earn a five-star rating.
Vice-chairman of SMC’s Standing Committee for Public Health, Environmental, and Urban Services councillor Yiing Sy Huat said while there is no deadline for achieving this standard, inspections and monitoring will regularly be carried out.
“To maintain cleanliness in food and beverage premises within SMC’s administrative area, particularly regarding toilet standards, our public health officers conduct daily inspections at all premises,” he told reporters here yesterday.
In February, he said the SMC’s public health officers had inspected toilets in 91 eateries across the town, but only six successfully obtained a five-star rating after evaluation.
“This indicates that there is still plenty of room for improvement.
“Food business operators must also take greater responsibility in upgrading their toilet facilities, as there is no fixed timeframe imposed on them,” he said.
Yiing further revealed that 23 premises received a four-star rating, 42 were rated three stars, 11 received two stars, and one premises was given a one-star rating.
Additionally, he said the council had also outsourced the management of public toilets in its administrative area to two contractors.
“There are eight toilets in Zone A, which covers the town centre, and 10 toilets in Zone B, which includes suburban areas, and these toilets are managed by two separate contractors,” he said.
“Inspections on public toilets are conducted twice a week, and any non-compliance will result in penalties for the contractors involved,” he added.
He also called upon the public to practise good hygiene habits and maintain the cleanliness of the public toilets as well as to provide feedback or suggestions to the council at any time.
“Our goal is to ensure that all toilets achieve a five-star rating,” he stressed.
