Worker Health, Hygiene

and Sanitary Facilities

Hazards

Unsafe food is the result of contamination:

 Biological
 Chemical
 Physical
Hazards
Biological contaminants:
◦ Bacteria
◦ Viruses
◦ Parasites
◦ Fungi
Hazards
Chemical contaminants:
◦ Cleaners
◦ Sanitizers
◦ Polishes
Hazards
Physical hazards:
◦ Metal shavings
◦ Staples
◦ Bandages
◦ Glass
◦ Dirt
◦ Natural objects (e.g., fish bones in a fillet)
Hazards
 Infected employees who work with fresh
produce increase the risk of transmitting
foodborne illnesses
 Past outbreak of foodborne illnesses and

fecal materials
 Also infectious disease accompanied by

diarrhea or open lesions (boils, sores or

infected wounds) are a source of disease-
causing microorganisms
Hazard
 The importance of food workers
understanding and practicing proper hygiene
cannot be overemphasized
 Workers can unintentionally contaminate

fresh produce, water supplies, and other

workers, and transmit foodborne illness if
they do not understand and follow basic
hygienic principals.
 Example nursing home and salmonella

outbreak in Minnesota 1995

Control of Potential Hazards
1. Personal Health and Hygiene
 Establish a training program
◦ All employees, including supervisors, full time, part
time and seasonal personnel should have a good
working knowledge of basic sanitation and hygiene
principals.
◦ Each producer should develop a sanitation training
program for their employees such as formal
presentation, one-on-one instruction or demonstration
(hand washing)
◦ If a formalized training program is not practical (part
time, seasonal personnel) then the operator or
supervisor should verbally instruct or demonstrate
proper health and hygiene practices
Control of Potential Hazards
1. Personal Health and Hygiene
 Become familiar with typical signs and
symptoms of infectious diseases
◦ The pathogens Salmonella typhi, Shigella species,
E.coli generic and O157:H7, Noro virus and hepatitis
A virus have a high infectivity(the ability to invade
and multiply in the body), and virulence ( the ability
to produce severe diseases).
◦ Operators should instruct employees to report any
active case of illness to their supervisor before
beginning work.
◦ Supervisor should be familiar with the singe and
symptoms
Control of Potential Hazards
1. Personal Health and Hygiene
 Provide protection from a lesion
◦ Any lesion that contains pus, such as boil or
infected wound that is open or draining and is
located on parts of the body that might have
contact with produce or produce harvesting,
sorting, packing equipment, increase the risk
◦ If the lesion can not be effectively covered then the
employee should not be working in any aspect with
fresh produce, utensils, or other food contact
surfaces or equipment.
Control of Potential Hazards
1. Personal Health and Hygiene

 Consider alternative good hygienic practices

◦ Single-service disposable gloves in combination
with proper hand-washing
◦ Gloves must fit properly
◦ Should not have any holes or be torn
◦ Should not be replaced for proper hand-washing
Control of Potential Hazards
1. Personal Health and Hygiene
 Ensure good hygienic practices are followed by
visitors to the farm, packing, or transport facilities
whenever they come into contact with fresh produce
 Operators should require that product inspectors,
buyers, and other visitors comply with established
hygienic practices when inspecting produce
Training
 When providing training for employees, the
requirements under the Occupational Safety
and Health Act (OSHA)29 CFR 1910.141,
subpart J, and 29CFR 1928.110 should be
considered
 Operators outside U.S. should follow

corresponding or similar standard,

regulations, or laws for protecting worker
health
 Other areas of training:
Training
 The importance of good hygiene
◦ Must understand the impact of poor personal
cleanliness and unsanitary practices
◦ It protect the worker from illness
◦ It reduces the potential for contaminating fresh
produce
◦ It could prevent a large number of illnesses
Training
 The importance of hand washing
◦ Many of the diseases that are transmissible through
food may be harbored in the employee’s intestinal
track and shed in feces
◦ Contaminated hands can also transmit infectious
diseases
Training
 The importance of proper hand washing
techniques
◦ Teach employees proper hand washing techniques
◦ Hand washing with warm water (at least 100ºF) is
more effective than cold water
◦ Apply soap to hands
◦ Scrub hands together vigorously ( between fingers,
cuticles etc.) at least for 15 seconds
◦ Rinse with warm water thoroughly
◦ Dry with single use paper towels
Portable hand washing stations

Gas Heated
Training
Poor personal hygiene can cause a foodborne illness
when food handlers:
 Fail to wash their hands correctly after using the
restroom
 Cough or sneeze on food
 Touch or scratch wounds and then touch food
 Work while sick
Training
 The importance of using toilet facilities
◦ To teach the employees the importance of using
toilet facilities connected to sewage disposal
system
◦ To teach the employees on properly constructed
on-site sanitary pit privies or latrines
◦ To reduce the potential for contaminating fields,
produce, other workers, and water supplies
Training
Training and monitoring:
 Train staff to follow safety procedures
 Provide initial and ongoing training
 Provide all staff with general produce safety knowledge
 Provide job specific safety training
 Retrain staff regularly
 Monitor staff to make sure they are following
procedures
 Document training
Consumer-Pick Operations and
Road-Side Produce Stands

 Consider Good Agricultural Practices

regarding Water quality and use of manure
 If consumers pick up their produce from the

farm the following practices should be

considered:
◦ Good hygienic practices, proper hand washing
techniques.
Hand Washing Station
 A hand washing station should equipped
with:
 Basin
 Water (hot and cold)
 Liquid soap
 Sanitary hand drying devices (single use

paper towel)
 Waste basket
 Signage
Toilet facilities
 Provide clean, properly supplied, and
convenient toilets for the consumer use

 Promote good handling/processing practices

◦ To encourage the customers to thoroughly wash all
fruits and vegetables to be eaten raw.
Sanitary Facilities
 Microbial Hazard-poor management of
human and other waste in the fields or
packing facilities
 Control of potential hazards- follow

sanitation laws under OSHA act 29CFR

1928.110 subpart I, appropriate number of
toilets to number of workers, proper hand
washing facilities, maximum workers to
restrooms distance, and cleaning procedures
Sanitary Facilities
 OSHA standards under 29 CFR 1910.141,
subpart j- toilet facilities and other sanitation
issues
 Good Manufacturing practices for buildings,

facilities, equipment, production, and process

controls for foods (21 CFR 110.20 to 110.93)
 Packers should also follow safety standards

outlined in FDA’s Food Code (Ref.4)

 Operator outside US should follow the same

standards, regulations and laws

Sanitary Facilities

 Toilet facilities should be accessible

 Toilet facilities should be properly located
 Toilet facilities and hand washing stations

should be well equipped

 Toilet facilities should be kept clean
 All facilities should be kept clean
Sanitary Facility
Sewage Disposals

 Improper disposal could contaminate water,

soil, animal crop, or workers
 Should follow EPA regulations “Domestic

Septage Regulatory Guidance: A Guide to the

Part 503 Rule”
Sewage Disposal
 Use caution when servicing portable toilets
 Waste water from portable toilet facilities may

drain into a field and contaminate fresh produce

 Sewage transport trucks need direct access to

toilet facilities to ensure proper collection and

disposal through a municipal sewage system or
a sub-surface septic tank system
 Need to have a plan for containment and

treatment of any waste in the event of leakage

or a spill(40 CFR Part 503)
Obtain Information
 How to obtain the regulations:
CFR (Code of Federal Regulations)
◦ For FDA call 202-512-1800
www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/index.html.

◦ For OSHA call 202-512-1800

www.ohsa-slc.gov/OshStd_toc/OSHA_std_toc.html

◦ EPA call 1-800-490-9198

www.epa.org
Fatemeh_malekian@suagcenter.com

wwwwwww.suagcenter.com

5-www225-771-0251
2ww771-0251
8-723-3366
www.foodsafety.gov

www.fightbac.org

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