Personal hygiene and contamination: mangers must focus on…
- Establishing specific personal hygiene policies
- Training food handlers on personal hygiene policies and retraining them regularly
- Modeling correct behavior at all times
- Supervising food safety practices
- Revising personal hygiene policies when laws or science change
Food handlers can contaminate food when they…
- Have a foodborne illness
- Have symptoms such as diarrhea, vomiting, jaundice (yellowing of skin/eyes)
- Have wounds that contain a pathogen
- Sneeze or cough
- Have contact with a person who is sick
- Touch anything that may contaminate their hands and do not wash them
Actions that can contaminate food
- Scratching the scalp
- Running fingers through hair
- Wiping or touching the nose
- Rubbing an ear
- Touching a pimple or infected wound
- Wearing a dirty uniform
- Coughing or sneezing into the hand
- Spitting in the operation
Good personal hygiene includes…
- Following hygienic hand practices
- Maintaining personal cleanliness
- Wearing clean and appropriate clothing, restraining hair, removing jewelry
- Avoiding unsanitary habits/actions
- Maintaining good health
- Covering wounds
- Reporting health issues
Washing your hands: Step 1
Wet hands and arms. Use running water as hot as you can comfortably stand, at least 100F.
Washing your hands: Step 2
Apply soap. Apply enough to build up a good lather.
Washing your hands: Step 3
Scrub hands and arms vigorously. Scrub them for 10 to 15 seconds. Clean under fingernails and between fingers.
Washing your hands: Step 4
Rinse hands and arms thoroughly. Use running warm water.
Washing your hands: Step 5
Dry hands and arms. Use a single-use paper towel or hand dryer. Consider using a paper towel to turn off the faucet and open the restroom door.
Food handlers must wash their hands BEFORE they start work and AFTER…
- Using the restroom
- Handling raw meat, poultry, seafood
- Touching the hair, face, body
- Sneezing, coughing, using a tissue
- Eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing gum/tobacco
- Handling chemicals that might affect food safety
Food handlers must wash their hands AFTER…
- Taking out garbage
- Clearing tables or busing dirty dishes
- Touching clothing or aprons
- Handling money
- Leaving and returning to the kitchen/prep area
- Handling service animals or aquatic animals
- Touching anything else that may contaminate hands
Hand antiseptics:
- Liquids or gels used to lower the number of pathogens on skin
- Must comply with the CFR and FDA standards
- Should NEVER be used in place of hand washing
- Should be allowed to dry before touching food or equipment
Hand care - fingernails
- Keep fingernails short and clean
- Do NOT wear false nails
- Do NOT wear nail polish
Hand care - wounds and cuts (infected)
- Contain pus
- Must be covered to prevent pathogens from contaminating food/food-contact surfaces
Hand care - how a wound is covered depends on where it is located
- Cover wounds on the hand or wrist with an impermeable cover and then a single use glove
- Cover wounds on the arm with an impermeable cover, such as bandage
- Cover wounds on other parts of the body with a dry, tight-fitting bandage
Bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food must be avoided EXCEPT when…
- The food is an ingredient in a dish that does not contain raw meat, seafood, poultry (cooked to at least 145F)
- The food is an ingredient in a dish containing raw meat, seafood, poultry
- The dish will be cooked to the required minimum internal temperature of the raw item(s)
- NEVER handle ready-to-eat food with bare hands when you primarily serve a high-risk population
Single-use gloves
- Should be used when handling ready-to-eat food EXCEPT when washing produce or handling ready-to-eat ingredients for a dish that will be cooked
- Must NEVER be used in place of handwashing
- Must NEVER be washed and reused
- Must fit correctly
How to use gloves
- Wash and dry hands before putting gloves on when starting a new task
- Choose the correct glove size
- Hold gloves by the edge when putting them on
- Once gloves are on, check for rips or tears
- Do NOT blow into gloves
- Do NOT roll gloves to make them easier to put on
When to change gloves
- As soon as they become dirty or torn
- Before beginning a different task
- After interruption, such as taking a phone call
- After handling raw meat, seafood, or poultry and before handling ready-to-eat food
Correct work attire - food handlers must…
- Wear a clean hat or other hair restraint
- Wear clean clothing daily
- Remove aprons when leaving food prep areas
- Remove jewelry from hands/arms before prepping food or when working around prep areas
Eating, drinking, smoking, chewing gum or tobacco - food handlers must not…
Eat, drink, smoke, or chew gum or tobacco when:
- Prepping or serving food
- Working in prep areas
- Working in areas used to clean utensils and equipment
Report health issues if: The food handler has a sore throat with a fever
- Restrict the food handler from working with or around food
- Exclude the food handler from the operation if you primarily serve a high-risk population
- A written release from a medical practitioner is required before returning to work
Report health issues if: The food handler has at least vomiting or diarrhea
- Exclude the food handler from the operation
- Before returning to work, food handlers who vomited or had diarrhea must meet one of these requirements:
1. Have had no symptoms for at least 24 hours
2. Have a written release from a medical practitioner
Report health issues if: The food handler has jaundice
- Report the food handler to the regulatory authority
- Exclude food handlers from the operation if they have jaundice for 7 days or less
- Food handlers must have a written release from medical practitioner AND approval from the regulatory authority before returning to work
