FOOD HANDLER’S SAFETY AND HYGIENE

Providing safe food begins during the hiring process. Studies show that many cases of foodborne illnesses can
be linked directly to the lack of attention to personal hygiene, cleanliness, and food handling procedures. The
preventive measures that the food service manager implements to ensure food safety should begin during the hiring
stage of food service industry workers. This strategy is accomplished through the health screening and careful training
of food service employees after they have been hired. The successful hiring process should be followed by an
orientation and training on the standards of proper hygiene established for food service operations.

Policies should be designed, implemented and monitored that cover employee illness, proper attire and
personal hygiene habits. Only foodservice workers who are healthy and practice good personal hygiene should be
allowed to work in food service industry. Workers can contaminate food by working while they are sick, touching
pimples or sores, touching their hair, not wearing a band-aid and single-use gloves over sores and wounds, and not
washing their hands properly before, during, and after handling food.

Personal Hygiene – means a clean body, clean clothes and clean habits
- simply the application of principles for maintain health and personal cleanliness

Infection Control Procedures – specific methods designed to fulfil the intent of policies

A sanitary and hygienic environment begins with a healthy food handler. For a food handler to be considered
healthy, he/she must be free form disease that may contaminate food such as intestinal orders (typhoid fever and
hepatitis), respiratory tract disease (tuberculosis, sore throat and colds), skin disease/disorders (boils, lesions and skin
infections).

Food Handler – anyone who works in a food business and who handles food, or surfaces that are likely to be in
contact with food, such as cutlery plates, bowls, or chopping boards
- may do many different things for a food business which include making, cooking, preparing, serving,
packing, displaying and storing food
- can also be involved in manufacturing, producing, collecting, extracting, processing, transporting,
delivering, thawing or preserving food

Food Handler Guidelines:

✓ do whatever is reasonable to prevent their body, anything from their body or anything they are wearing,
coming into contact with food or food contact surfaces
✓ do whatever is reasonable to stop unnecessary contact with ready-to-eat foods such as salads or cooked meat
✓ wear clean outer clothing appropriate for the type of work they do
✓ make sure bandages or dressings on any exposed parts of the body are covered with a waterproof covering
✓ not eat over unprotected food surfaces likely to come in contact with food
✓ not spit, smoke or use tobacco or similar preparations where food is handled
✓ not urinate or defecate except in a toilet
Food Safety Policies that Promote Good Personal Hygiene:

1. personal cleanliness – workers properly bathed

2. proper work attire – workers wearing clean hat or hair restraint, clean clothing, appropriate shoes, facial masks,
gloves, and removing jewelry

3. good hygiene practices – workers frequently and properly washing their hands, having short fingernails, and
properly using gloves

Health Precautions:

✓ A worker with an illness such as a cold, cough or infection, or other communicable disease, cuts or burns could
easily contaminate food. If you are sick, do not go to work.
✓ If you have an open sore, boil or other skin eruption, advise your supervisor so you can be assigned to a non-
food area. A worker who has been exposed to an infectious disease should consult with a doctor before
returning to work.
✓ Some persons may appear healthy but still harbour bacteria that can contaminate food. These people are called
“carriers”. They should not handle food, just as a person with a known visible illness should not handle food.
Health contaminations can help determine if persons are carriers of communicable diseases such as typhoid.

Personal Cleanliness Habits:

✓ Bathe daily. The skin harbors germs, and the pores trap them in. wear clean underwear and work clothes.
✓ Brush your teeth after eating.
✓ Shampoo your hair as necessary to keep it clean and healthy. Wear hair in a simple, easy-to-manage style.
✓ Keep fingernails clean, well-trimmed and free of nail polish.
✓ Avoid excessive makeup and perfume.
✓ Dress properly for the job. Change from your street clothes and wear a clean uniform or washable work clothes
every day. If you wear an apron, change it when it gets soiled.
✓ Wear clean, low-heeled, properly fitting shoes with non-skid soles (preferably uniform-type shoes). The heel
and toe should be completely enclosed for sanitation and safety reasons.
✓ Wear a hairnet or cap which completely covers the hairline. Hairs spray should not be used as a substitute for
a hairnet. Avoid hairpins or barrettes. Men with short hair should wear caps, if hair is long, they should wear
hairnets. Do not touch your hair while working.
✓ Do not wear jewelry other than unadorned wedding bands. This is a precaution primarily for sanitary reasons,
but it also protects the worker and the jewelry.

Other Basic and General Work Habits:

 ✓ Do not smoke or chew gum in food storage, preparation, serving, dining or clean up areas.
✓ Do not cough or sneeze near food. This results in millions of germs contaminating food, work areas, equipment
and co-workers. Use disposable tissues as needed and throw used one away. Wash your hands after using a
tissue. Do not carry used handkerchiefs or tissues in your pocket.
✓ Do not use hairspray or file nails, apply makeup or comb hair in foodservice areas.
✓ Scrub one hand against the other; it gets the trapped dirt and grime out. Use handwashing basins rather than
preparation or dishwashing sinks. Disposable towels should be supplied for drying hands. Do not dry hands
on dish towels, aprons or uniforms. Turn off the water with the towel. As you wash, do not lean against the
basin. You may transmit germs.
✓ Obtain physical examinations as required.
✓ In the event you must wipe perspiration from your face, use a paper towel, not a kitchen towel. Dispose off
the towel and wash your hands.

General Considerations:

1. proper hand washing

Workers must wash their hands after any task that might contaminate their hands.
✓ after using the bathroom
✓ after coughing, sneezing, smoking, eating, or drinking
✓ after bussing a table
✓ before putting on gloves
✓ after handling animals
✓ when switching between raw and ready-to-eat food
✓ after handling garbage or trash
✓ after handling dirty equipment or utensils
✓ during food preparation

2. instant hand sanitizers

These should only be used on properly washed hands. Therefore, food workers must always wash their hands
before the hand sanitizer is applied. Hand sanitizers can never replace hand washing.

3. fingernails
Fingernails and nail polish can become a physical hazard. Therefore, workers must keep their nails trimmed
and filed. Long nails can easily break and end up in food. Also if nails are long, dirt and microorganisms can collect
beneath them. If workers want to wear fingernail polish or artificial fingernails, they must wear single-use gloves.

4. cuts, wounds, and sores

Lesions containing pus that might be on a worker’s hands or forearms can introduce bacteria into food. If a
worker has an infected cut and bandages it, plus puts on a glove, he/she do not have to report the infected cut to the
manager. However, if the worker does not bandage it, he/she must let his/her manager know about the infected cut.

5. single-use gloves
Gloves act as barrier between the hands and the food. However, these must not be a substitute for proper
hand washing. Hands must be properly washed before a worker puts on single-use gloves. Gloves must be thrown out
when they become dirty. Provide workers with non-latex gloves because latex gloves might cause allergic reactions in
some workers. Always change gloves when they tear, before beginning a new task, every four hours when doing the
same task, and after handling raw meat, fish, or poultry.
6. hair restraint
Consumers are particularly sensitive to food contaminated by hair. Food workers might contaminate their
hands when they touch their hair. A hair restraint keeps hair from ending up in the food and it also may deter employees
from touching their hair. Common hair restraints include nets, bonnets and caps. A hair restraint must be worn before
hand washing and before starting work. A hair restraint must be properly worn. It must cover the entire hair without a
single strand showing.

7. footwear
Because footwear can serve as source of contamination, it is only necessary to use footwear exclusively for
kitchen use. Footwear worn outside the food preparation area should not be worn inside the food preparation area to
prevent the possibility of contamination. Use closed shoes, not open-toes shoes, and should be worn at all times. Shoes
are also used to prevent slips and falls from wet floors.

8. clothing
Dirty clothing could also be a source of microorganisms. Food workers who inadvertently touch their dirty
clothing may contaminate their hands. This could result in contamination of the food being prepared. In addition,
workers wearing dirty clothes send a negative message to customers about the level of sanitation in the restaurant.
Work clothes with apron and uniform must be worn inside the kitchen. Street clothes should never be worn to work as
they may be sources of contamination.

9. jewelry
Jewelry such as rings, bracelets, and watches might get dirty. As a result, the jewelry may be a source of harmful
microorganisms. An additional hazard associated with jewelry is the possibility that pieces of the item or the whole
item itself may fall into the food being prepared. Hard foreign objects in food may cause medical problems for
consumers such as chipped and/or broken teeth, internal cuts or lesions.

10. bare-hand contact

Minimize bare-hand contact of ready-to-eat food which includes cooked food, raw fruits and vegetables, baked
goods, dried sausages, canned food, snack foods, and beverages. It is best to handle these foods with hands that are
properly covered with single-use gloves, cleaned and sanitized utensils, and/or deli papers.

11. facial masks

These prevent airborne microorganisms from nose and mouth form getting into food during talking, coughing,
or sneezing. Facial masks will also prevent direct contact of the hands with the nose and mouth which are sources of
contamination.

12. tasting of food

When tasting food, a small amount of the dish should be transferred into a separate bowl. The dish must be
tasted with a separate spoon which must be immediately washed after use. Use a clean spoon for tasting food and
never taste food with your fingers.

13. storing personal belongings

Personal belongings like bags and clothes should be stored in lockers or cabinets away from the food
preparation area.

14. other personal habits to be addressed by policy

 ✓ blowing air into plastic bags or using the teeth for opening packages in food production
✓ blowing into food containers like plastic bags
✓ licking fingers, touch the nose, mouth, or hair while in the production area
✓ spitting in the food handling area
✓ applying makeup or spritz perfume in food preparation areas
✓ sitting or leaning on work tables or equipment
✓ allowing unauthorized personnel in the production area

15. animals
Animals can be a source of harmful microorganisms. This is the reason that live animals cannot be on the
premises of a restaurant. The only exceptions are edible/decorative fish in an aquarium, shellfish or crustacean on ice
under refrigeration or in display tanks, patrol dogs or sentry dogs, service animals, or live fish bait.

Special Reminders for Food Workers:

1. wait staff
❖ you may be responsible for checking the holding temperatures on the buffet or salad bar
❖ gloves or other utensils must be used for handling all ready-to-eat foods even if you’re just buttering toast
❖ customers may ask you questions about how the food was prepared

2. child care providers

❖ be sure to understand the wash, rinse and sanitize steps
many toys and other surfaces in child care facilities use the same cleaning technique
❖ handwashing is not only important for you as a food worker but also important for the children before they eat
❖ many dishes are served family-style therefore use utensils that children can handle and be ready to replace
utensils that are dropped, licked, or incorrectly used
❖ children’s medications that must be refrigerated in the kitchen must be labelled and kept in a water-tight
container

3. bussers
❖ dirty dishes need to stay away from all clean food preparation areas and food
❖ after clearing tables you must wash your hands before you begin another activity

4. dishwashers
❖ the sinks and your hands might be contaminated thus be sure to wash them before you begin
❖ change the wash water often to better clean the dishes
❖ routinely measure the sanitizer solution with appropriate test strips
❖ if you use a mechanical dishwasher you must know how to use it and how to check that it is sanitizing properly
❖ be sure to read and follow the directions on chemical labels

5. bartenders
❖ bare hand contact is not permitted even if it’s just squeezing a lemon into a drink so prepare garnishes like
lemon twists and sliced fruits with gloves in advance rather than preparing them bare handed for each drink
❖ be sure to use an ice scoop rather than handling the ice

6. grocery clerks
❖ cross contamination can happen while you’re bagging groceries hence bag meats separately and clean up meat
spills with a sanitizer
 ❖ you will likely handle unwrapped produce therefore be sure to wash your hands often throughout the day
❖ be sure that potentially hazardous foods left at your aisle are returned to proper temperature control
immediately or discarded

7. home cooks
❖ check your refrigerator temperatures as food should be kept at 41 F or colder and cooled properly to keep your
family and friends safe
❖ animals are not allowed in food preparation areas of restaurants because of germs thus keep your pets off the
kitchen counters and out of the kitchen sink at home as well
❖ hosting parties often means lots of food and people therefore be sure to plan ahead so that you will be able to
keep foods at proper temperatures thus make sure you have enough utensils for serving and rapidly cool
leftovers in shallow pans

8. temporary food vendors

❖ temporary establishments often lack plumbing and for this reason be sure to set up your handwashing station
before you begin food preparation
❖ temperature control is often difficult at temporary sites so have a back-up plan ready in case your electricity
goes out or your equipment is unable to keep the food at proper temperatures
❖ plan your menu carefully to limit the number of potentially hazardous foods

Management and Supervisory Responsibilities of the Food Manager

Food managers, especially those responsible for food providing “at-risk” population, have an important
responsibility in the prevention of foodborne illness. Food managers must instil a sense of urgency and educate on food
safety and related topics on microbiology, epidemiology, food science and standard operating procedures.

1. Food Manager
✓ identifies hazards in the day-to-day operation of a food establishments that prepares packages, serves, vends
or otherwise provides food for human consumption
✓ develops or implements specific policies, procedures, or standards aimed at preventing foodborne illness
✓ coordinates training, supervises or directs food preparation activities, and takes corrective action as needed to
protect the health of the customer
✓ conducts in-house self-inspection of daily operations on a periodic basis to see that policies and procedures
concerning food safety are being followed

2. Food Protection Manager

✓ identifies foodborne illness
✓ describes the relationship between time and temperature and the growth of microorganisms that cause
foodborne illness
✓ describe the relationship between personal hygiene and food safety
✓ describes methods for preventing food contamination from purchasing to receiving
✓ recognizes problems and potential solutions associated with facility, equipment and layout in a food
establishment
✓ recognizes problems and solutions associated with temperature control, preventing cross-contamination,
housekeeping and maintenance

Responsibilities of Employees
 A healthy and safe workplace is considered to be of major importance. It is believed that when employees are
healthy and happy, it will be translated to good service and it will equal happy and satisfied guests. By practicing safe
work procedures, keeping fit, and working toward preventing accidents, it can in turn improve morale, reduce pain and
suffering, and build pride in our workplace.

✓ never knowingly put yourself or others at risk

✓ participate in inspections and investigations where applicable
✓ work with care and attention at all times
✓ wear protective equipment as needed or required
✓ do not operate any machinery or equipment without receiving the proper instructions
✓ always report all injuries or symptoms, no matter how minor, immediately to your manager so that they can
work with you towards prevention
✓ encourage co-workers to work safely
✓ report any unsafe acts or conditions to your manager and wherever possible remedy those conditions to ensure
that no one gets hurt
✓ always check that guards and safety devices on equipment are used as instructed
✓ maintain equipment in good, safe working order
✓ adhere to all safety rules and regulations
✓ if in the unfortunate event you do get hurt it is very important that you work with your doctor, and your
management team towards a speedy recovery
✓ every employee has an obligation to meet the attendance requirement of the job
✓ assist in the creation of a safe work environment by recommending actions that will improve the effectiveness
of the health and safety program

Training, Education, and Supervision

The success of a well-developed safety program depends upon the effectiveness of training efforts. According
to the Regulation, employees must be informed about potential hazards in the workplace and the safe work practices
that they should follow to minimize risks. Training and education should begin with orientation. An effective safety
orientation allows us to communicate the philosophy of management and owners, safety rules and regulations, and
the ways and means of developing good, productive, and safe work habits.