Minimizing Contamination of Food by Employees: Personal Hygiene Strategies

Minimizing Contamination of
Food by Employees:
Personal Hygiene Strategies
Contamination from Employees
Employees can:
1. Harbor disease in body
 with or without symptoms
2. Carry disease on body or personal items
3. Become contaminated in the work environment
Food Handlers Carrying Disease Organisms
with or without Symptoms
From respiratory tract From intestinal tract

through coughing and From open sores, through hands soiled with
cuts, or boils
sneezing feces
Food prepared
Food eaten
Illness occurs
Key Prevention Strategies
 Employee Health – exclusion or restriction
 Education & awareness
 Personal cleanliness & hygiene
 Availability of handwashing, hand sanitizing, and toilet facilities
 Education & training
Employee Health
 2005 Food Code require reporting, exclusion and/or restriction of
employees exhibiting:
 Vomiting,
 Diarrhea,
 Jaundice,
 Sore throat with fever, or
 A exposed lesion containing pus such as a boil or wound
Employee Health
 Listeriosis symptoms include:

 Nausea*
 Vomiting*
 Headache
 Fever*
 Chills
 Backache
*Reportable symptoms
Education & Awareness
 Employees should:
 Understand consequences of working when ill
 Be aware of symptoms that may be associated with foodborne illness
 Feel empowered to report illness
Management & Illness
 Management should understand

 Employee illness can cause foodborne outbreaks = hurt business
 Employees may be reluctant to report illness
 Lost wages
 Demerits – “We’re too busy for you not to work”
 Have a system in place to deal with employee illness
Employee Hygiene
 Hand hygiene
 Personal cleanliness
 Uniforms or dress codes
 Avoiding unsanitary actions
Hand Hygiene
 A 1993 study found that 7% of food workers
carried LM on their hands
Hand Hygiene
Key Controls
 Proper hand washing
 No bare hand contact w/ RTE food
 Proper hand maintenance
Handwashing
 Factors influencing effectiveness
 Friction to physically dislodge bacteria
 Water which washes bacteria from the surface and down the drain
 Soap or detergent to loosen the bacteria
 Temperature – hot water is more effective than cool water
Most Frequently Missed Areas During
Handwashing
Handwashing
 2005 Food Code
 Clean hands & exposed portions of arms
 Clean for at least 20 seconds
 Use a handwashing sink or approved automatic handwashing facility
 NOT in food preparation sinks or warewashing sinks
Handwashing Protocol
1. Rinse under clean running warm water

2. Apply recommended amount of cleaning compound (soap or
detergent)
3. Rub hands together vigorously for at least 10 to 15 seconds
4. Thoroughly rinse with warm water
5. Dry hands
Handwashing
 While rubbing hands together
 Ensure soil is removed from underneath fingernails
 Create sufficient friction
 Ensure finger tips and areas between fingers are rubbed
Clean hands for at least 20 seconds
Handwashing
 When drying use one of the following methods
 Individual disposable towels
 Continuous towels systems supplying user a clean towel
 A heated air hand dryer
Hot air dryers http://www.rc-
enterprises.net/HAND
%20DRIER.htm
 Benefits:
 Effective when operating properly and cycle is sufficiently long
 Less waste
 Drawbacks:
 Users may only partially dry and then wipe hands on clothes
 Wet hands more easily picks up microorganisms from environment
Paper towels
 Benefits:
 Considered most sterile of methods
 Friction during drying further reduces transient microorganisms
from hands
 Can be used as barrier when turning off water and exiting door
 Drawbacks:
 Dispensers with cranks, buttons, or levers not recommended
 Monitoring of waste required
Handwashing
 To avoid recontamination:
 Use a paper towel or similar clean barrier when touching surfaces
 Manual faucets
 Handles on restroom doors
When to wash your hands:
When beginning a shift.
After handling raw ingredients
After using the rest room.
After eating, drinking or using tobacco.
After using a handkerchief or tissue.
After touching your hand or face.
After touching any soiled surface or utensil.
After wiping your hands on your clothes.
When changing gloves.
Hand Sanitizers
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http://www.shoplet.
com/office/db/GOJ
965606.html
Alcohol gel wipes

Wall dispensers
Hand Sanitizers
 Optional
 Must be approved by the FDA
 Must be maintained clean and at an appropriate strength
Handwashing Facilities
1. Soap dispenser
2. Paper towels
3. Hot water
4. Sink working
properly
5. Trash removed
6. General cleanliness
Food Establishment Plan Review Guide - FDA, 2000

Handwashing Facilities
Sufficient number
Accessible
Adequately supplied
Maintained in sanitary condition
Good repair
Bare Hands Contact
 Prohibited for RTE foods

 Prevents transfer of skin bacteria to food if properly used
 Use
 Gloves
 Utensils
 tongs,
 single use deli papers
Gloves
• Considerations
• May find their way into food product
• Moist and warm conditions inside glove
promotes rapid bacterial growth which may
escape if torn
• May promote complacency about adhering to
good hygienic habits
Proper use of gloves…
 Wear gloves that are correctly sized.
 Use gloves only for their designated use.
 Remove gloves whenever leaving a workstation
or walk-in refrigerator.
 Change gloves between handling an unclean
surface or raw ingredients
 Change gloves whenever contaminated
 Remember gloves are not a substitute for
washing hands.
Hand maintenance
 Fingernails
 Short
 Filed
 Cuts or lesions
 Should be appropriately bandaged and covered
with a finger cot
Personal Cleanliness
 Employees should practice good hygiene before coming to work
 Regular bathing

Dress Code
Wear clean outer garments when handling food
 Enough aprons so they can be changed if soiled
 Wear clean, closed toed shoes
 No jewelry
 Hair restraint
Jewelry
•Prohibited while handling food
• Can fall into food
• Can contaminate food
Rings Watches
Earrings
Bracelets
Hair Restraints
Employees (and visitors) should wear

hairnets, caps, beard covers, or other
effective hair restraints in food handling
areas
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Personal items such as pens, pencils, smoking
materials, or thermometers should not be
carried in shirt pockets when employees are
food handling areas.
Storing clothes and personal
belongings away from food
production areas……….
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Unsanitary Actions
 Eating, drinking, chewing gum, or using tobacco in food preparation areas
 Touching hair, face, or body
 Using apron as a napkin
 Sneezing or coughing over food
Demonstration
Hands
Unwashed hand Rinsed hand
Washed 20 sec using Washed 20 sec and then

soap and water sanitized
Gloves
Unwashed glove Rinsed glove
Washed 20 sec using Washed 20 sec and then

soap and water sanitized
Hair Apron Pests
Personal Jewelry
Rings removed
Rings removed after
after20
20
second wash
second wash treatment
treatment
Ring removed
Ring removed after
after20
20
second wash
second wash treatment
treatment
Conclusions
• Thorough handwashing for at least 20

seconds is required to achieve an
acceptable reduction in surface bacteria
• Personal jewelry may continue to be a
significant source of contamination even
after thorough handwashing
Key Strategies
 Proper employee hygiene practices
 Exclusion or restriction of ill
employees
 Availability of handwashing, hand
sanitizing, and toilet facilities
 Education and training
What to Monitor:
 Employee Health
 Not working when ill with a diarrheal disease or with open
sores or wounds
 Employee Hygiene
 Proper handwashing
 Removal of exposed jewelry and other objects
 Restraining hair
 Wearing clean work clothes
 Storing clothes and personal belongings away from food
production areas
What to monitor:
 Facility conditions
 Condition and location of hand washing stations or sinks and toilet
facilities;
 Condition and availability of hand sanitizer stations, sinks, or dips;
 Type and concentration of hand sanitizers
 Availability of clean aprons and gloves
Employee education
 Training sessions
 New employees
 Periodic refresher course
 Posters
 Booklets
 Supervisory reinforcement

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Minimizing Contamination of

From respiratory tract From intestinal tract

 Listeriosis symptoms include:

 Management should understand

1. Rinse under clean running warm water

Alcohol gel wipes

Food Establishment Plan Review Guide - FDA, 2000

 Prohibited for RTE foods

Employees (and visitors) should wear

Clothing or other http://basestation.ios

personal belongings Group.asp?

should be stored in areas

other than where food is %3D

Unwashed hand Rinsed hand

Washed 20 sec using Washed 20 sec and then

Unwashed glove Rinsed glove

Washed 20 sec using Washed 20 sec and then

• Thorough handwashing for at least 20

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