Which document is used to suspend an establishment in response to a trend in noncompliance?

• A. Notice of Suspension (NOS)
• B. Abeyance
• C. Notice of Deferral
• D. Withdrawal

Answer: (A)

When noncompliance occurs on a continuing basis, the agency uses a formal enforcement action to stop an establishment’s operations to protect public health. The document that communicates this action and formally suspends the establishment is the Notice of Suspension. It specifies when the suspension takes effect, what operations are halted, and what corrective actions are required for reinstatement, guiding both the establishment and the agency through the suspension process.

Abeyance would be just a temporary pause without suspending operations. A Notice of Deferral postpones action rather than halting production. Withdrawal would remove or cancel an action already in place rather than initiate a suspension. So the Notice of Suspension is the correct document for suspending an establishment in response to a trend in noncompliance.