Diseases not transmitted through food

In recent years, the public has expressed growing concern over communicable diseases spread through intimate contact or by direct exchange of bodily fluids. Diseases such as AIDS (Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome), hepatitis B and C, and tuberculosis are not spread through food.

Although these diseases are not transmitted through food, as a manager you should be aware of the following laws concerning employees who are HIV-positive (Human Immunodeficiency Virus), have hepatitis B or C, or have tuberculosis.

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) provides civil rights protection to individuals who are HIV-positive or have hepatitis B, and thus prohibits employers from firing people or transferring them out of foodhandling duties simply because they have these diseases.

Employers must maintain the confidentiality of employees who have any nonfoodborne illness.

COMPONENTS OF A GOOD PERSONAL HYGIENE PROGRAM

Good personal hygiene is key to the prevention of foodborne illness. Good personal hygiene includes:

Following hygienic hand practices

Maintaining personal cleanliness

Wearing clean and appropriate uniforms and following dress codes

Avoiding unsanitary habits and actions

Maintaining good health

Reporting illnesses

Hygienic Hand Practices

Handwashing

While it may appear fundamental, many foodhandlers fail to wash their hands properly and as often as needed. As a manager, it is your responsibility to train your foodhandlers and then monitor them. Never take this simple action for granted.

To ensure proper handwashing in your establishment, train your foodhandlers to follow these steps.

Step 1: Wet your hands with running water as hot as you can comfortably stand (at least 100°F [38°C]).

Step 2: Apply soap. Apply enough soap to build up a good lather.

Step 3: Vigorously scrub hands and arms for at least twenty seconds.

Lather well beyond the wrists, including the exposed portions of the arms.

Step 4: Clean under fingernails and between fingers. A nail brush might be helpful.

Step 5: Rinse thoroughly under running water. Turn off the faucet using a single-use paper towel if available.

Step 6: Dry hands and arms. Use single-use paper towels or a warm-air hand dryer. Never use aprons or wiping cloths to dry hands after washing.

Hand sanitizers (a liquid used to lower the number of microorganisms on the surface of the skin) or hand dips may be used after washing, but should never be used in place of proper handwashing. If hand sanitizers are used, foodhandlers should never touch food or food-preparation equipment until the hand sanitizer has dried.

Foodhandlers must wash their hands after the following activities:

Using the restroom

Handling raw food (before and after)

Touching the hair, face, or body

Sneezing, coughing, or using a handkerchief or tissue

Smoking, eating, drinking, or chewing gum or tobacco

Handling chemicals that might affect the safety of food

Taking out garbage or trash

Clearing tables or busing dirty dishes

Touching clothing or aprons

Touching anything else that may contaminate hands, such as unsanitized equipment, work surfaces, or wash cloths

Hand Maintenance

In addition to proper washing, hands need other regular care to ensure that they will not transfer microorganisms to food. Food, filth, and harmful substances can get caught under both long and short fingernails. Fingernails should be kept short and clean. Nail polish can disguise dirt under nails and may flake off into food. Nail polish should not be worn if the employee will be handling food. Long fingernails, false fingernails, and acrylic nails may be difficult to keep clean and can break off into food. Therefore, they should not be worn while handling food, unless your jurisdiction allows single-use gloves to be worn over polished and false nails.

Cuts and sores on hands, including hangnails, should be treated and kept covered with clean bandages. If hands are bandaged, clean gloves or finger cots, a protective covering, should be worn at all times to protect the bandage and to prevent it from falling off into food. You may need to move the foodhandler to another job, where he or she will not handle food or touch food-contact surfaces, until an injury heals. To ensure food safety, good hand maintenance must be learned and practiced without fail

Use of Gloves

Gloves can protect hands from cuts and the effects of detergents and chemicals. They can also help keep food safe by creating a barrier between hands and food. Some jurisdictions require the use of gloves for foodhandlers who work with ready-to-eat food. However, other jurisdictions will allow an exception to the use of gloves if the establishment has a verifiable written policy on handwashing procedures. Check with your local regulatory agency for requirements in your jurisdiction.

Gloves must never be used in place of handwashing. Hands must be washed before putting on gloves and when changing to a fresh pair. Gloves used to handle food are for single use only and should never be washed and reused. Foodhandlers should change their gloves when necessary. Gloves should be changed:

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

Often, foodhandlers consider gloves more sanitary than bare hands. Because of this false sense of security, they might not change gloves as often as necessary. Managers must reinforce the habit of proper hand sanitation with foodhandlers. An effective handwashing education and compliance program will establish a habit that will help prevent foodborne illness.

Other Good Personal Hygiene Practices

Personal hygiene can be a sensitive subject for some people, but because personal cleanliness is vital to food safety, as a manager, you must address the subject with every foodhandler.

General Personal Cleanliness

In addition to following proper hand-hygiene practices, your foodhandlers must maintain personal cleanliness. Foodhandlers should bathe or shower before work. They must also keep their hair clean. Oily, dirty hair can harbor pathogens, and dandruff may fall into food or onto food-contact surfaces.

Proper Work Attire

A foodhandlers attire plays an important role in the prevention of foodborne illness. Dirty clothes may harbor pathogens and give customers a I bad impression of your establishment. Therefore, managers should make sure foodhandlers observe strict dress standards.

Foodhandlers should:

Wear a clean hat or other hair restraint. A hail" restraint will keep hair away from food and keep the foodhandler from touching it. Foodhandlers with facial hair should also wear beard restraints.

Wear clean clothing daily. The type of clothing chosen should minimize contact with food and equipment, and should reduce the need for adjustments. If possible, foodhandlers should put on work clothes at the establishment.

Remove aprons when leaving food-preparation areas. For example, aprons should be removed and properly stored prior to taking out garbage or using the restroom.

Wear appropriate shoes. Wear clean, closed-toed shoes with a sensible, nonslip sole.

Remove jewelry prior to preparing or serving food or while around food-preparation areas. Jewelry can harbor microorganisms, often tempts foodhandlers to touch it, and may pose a safety hazard around equipment. Remove rings (except for a plain band), bracelets (including medical information jewelry), watches, earrings, necklaces, and facial jewelry (such as nose rings, etc.).

Check with your local regulatory agency regarding requirements. These requirements should be reflected in written policies that are consistently monitored and enforced. All potential employees should be made aware of these policies prior to employment.