The Safe Foodhandler
4-1
Apply Your Knowledge: Test Your Food Safety Knowledge
1. True or False: During handwashing, foodhandlers
must vigorously scrub their hands and arms for five
seconds
2. True or False: Gloves should be changed before
beginning a different task
3. True or False: Foodhandlers must wash their hands
after smoking
4. True or False: A foodhandler diagnosed with
shigellosis cannot continue to work at an
establishment while he or she has the illness
5. True or False: Hand antiseptics should only be used
before handwashing
4-2
How Foodhandlers Contaminate Food
Foodhandlers can contaminate
food when they:
„
Have a foodborne illness
„
Show symptoms of gastrointestinal
illness
„
Have infected wounds or cuts
„
Live with, or are exposed to, a person
who is ill
„
Touch anything that may contaminate
their hands
4-3
How Foodhandlers Contaminate Food
Behaviors That Can Contaminate Food
B
A
Scratching the scalp
B
Running fingers
through hair
C
D
A
C
D
E
Touching a pimple or
open sore
F
Wearing a dirty uniform
G
Coughing or sneezing into
the hand
H
Spitting in the establishment
E
Wiping or touching
the nose
F
Rubbing an ear
G
H
4-4
Components of a Good Personal Hygiene Program
Good personal hygiene includes:
„
Maintaining personal cleanliness
„
Wearing proper work attire
„
Following hygienic hand practices
„
Avoiding unsanitary habits and actions
„
Maintaining good health
„
Reporting illnesses
4-5
Hygienic Hand Practices: Handwashing
Proper Handwashing Procedure
The whole process should take 20 seconds
1
Wet hands with running
water as hot as you can
comfortably stand (at least
100°F/38°C)
4
2 Apply soap
Rinse thoroughly
under running water
3
Vigorously scrub hands
and arms for ten to fifteen
seconds Clean under
fingernails and between
fingers
5 5 Dry hands and arms with
a single-use paper towel
or warm-air hand dryer
Use a paper towel to turn
off the faucet.
4-6
Hygienic Hand Practices: Hand Antiseptics
Hand Antiseptics
„
Must comply with Food and Drug
Administration standards
„
Should be used after handwashing (if
used in the establishment)
„
Must never be used in place of
handwashing
4-7
Hygienic Hand Practices: When to Wash Hands
Foodhandlers must wash their
hands after:
„
Using the restroom
„
Handling raw meat, poultry, and
fish (before and after)
„
Touching the hair, face, or body
„
Sneezing, coughing, or using
a tissue
„
Smoking, eating, drinking, or chewing
gum or tobacco
4-8
Hygienic Hand Practices: When to Wash Hands
Foodhandlers must wash their
hands after: continued
„
Handling chemicals that might
affect food safety
„
Taking out garbage
„
Clearing tables or bussing dirty dishes
„
Touching clothing or aprons
„
Touching anything else that may
contaminate hands, such as unsanitized
equipment, work surfaces, or washcloths
4-9
Hygienic Hand Practices: Bare-Hand Contact
Bare-Hand Contact with
Ready-to-Eat Food
Some jurisdictions allow it but require
written policies and procedures on:
„
Employee health
„
Handwashing
„
Other hygienic practices
4-10
Hygienic Hand Practices: Hand Maintenance
Requirements for Foodhandlers
Keep fingernails
short and clean
Do not wear false
nails or nail polish
Bandage cuts and
cover bandages
4-11
Hygienic Hand Practices: Gloves
Gloves used for handling food:
„
Must never be used in place of
handwashing
„
Are for single use only
„
Should be right for the task
„
Must be safe, durable, and clean
„
Must fit properly
„
Must be used properly
4-12
Hygienic Hand Practices: Gloves
When to Change Gloves
„
As soon as they become
soiled or torn
„
Before beginning a different
task
„
At least every four hours during
continual use and more often
when necessary
„
After handling raw meat and before
handling cooked or ready-to-eat food
4-13
Proper Work Attire
Foodhandlers should:
A
Wear a clean hat or other
hair restraint
B
Wear clean clothing daily
C
Remove aprons when leaving
food-preparation areas
D
Remove jewelry from hands and arms
E
Wear appropriate, clean, and closedtoe shoes
A
B
D
C
E
4-14
Policies Regarding Eating, Drinking, and Smoking
Foodhandlers must not:
„
Smoke, chew gum or tobacco, eat or
drink
When
„
Preparing or serving food
„
Working in food-preparation areas
„
Working in areas used to clean utensils
and equipment
4-15
Handling Employee Illnesses
IF:
„
The foodhandler has a
sore throat with fever
THEN:
„
Restrict the employee from working
with or around food
„
Exclude the employee from the
establishment if you primarily serve a
high-risk population
4-16
Handling Employee Illnesses
IF:
„
THEN:
The foodhandler has
one or more of the
following symptoms:
„
Vomiting
„
Diarrhea
„
Jaundice
„
„
„
Exclude the employee from the
establishment
Do not allow employees with vomiting or
diarrhea to return to work unless they:
„ Have been symptom-free for 24
hours
or
„ Have a written release from a
medical practitioner
Do not allow employees with jaundice to
return to work unless they have been
released by a medical practitioner
4-17
Handling Employee Illnesses
IF:
„
THEN:
The foodhandler has
been diagnosed with a
foodborne illness
caused by:
„
Salmonella Typhi
„
Shigella spp.
„
Shiga toxin-producing
E. coli
„
Hepatitis A virus
„
Norovirus
„
Exclude the employee from the
establishment and notify the local
regulatory agency
„
Work with the employee’s medical
practitioner and/or the local regulatory
agency to determine when he or she can
safely return to work
4-18
Apply Your Knowledge: Exclusion or Restriction?
Should you:
„
Exclude the foodhandler from the
establishment
„
Restrict the foodhandler from working
with or around food
1.
Bill, a line cook at a family restaurant has
a sore throat with a fever
2.
Joe, a prep cook, has diarrhea
3.
Mary, a sous chef, has been diagnosed
with hepatitis A
4-19
Apply Your Knowledge:
What’s Wrong with This Picture?
4-20