Personal Hygiene and Handwashing
Handwashing
Wash hands with warm running water and soap for at least 20 seconds. Lather the palms, backs, between fingers and under nails. Rinse, dry with a single-use paper towel, and use the towel to turn off the tap if needed. Wash before starting work, after using the washroom, after handling raw meat, poultry, seafood or eggs, after touching your face, hair, phone or garbage, after cleaning, and between tasks. Hand sanitizer is not a replacement for handwashing when soap and water are available.
Work habits
Wear clean outer clothing and a hair restraint. Remove jewelry from hands and arms, and avoid nail polish or false nails. Cover cuts with a waterproof bandage and a glove, and report infected cuts. Do not eat, drink, smoke or chew gum in food preparation areas. Do not touch ready-to-eat food with bare hands; use clean utensils, tongs or gloves. Gloves are not a substitute for handwashing-wash hands before putting them on and after removing them.
Reporting illness
Report vomiting, diarrhea, fever, jaundice or a sore throat with fever to your supervisor. You may be excluded from food handling. A common trap is "I feel fine, so I cannot spread germs": people can shed pathogens before symptoms appear and after they resolve.
Traps
Questions often imply gloves remove the need to wash hands, or that a quick rinse is enough. Another trap is wearing the same gloves for raw and ready-to-eat food.
Worked example
A cook handles raw chicken, then reaches for lettuce. The correct action is to remove gloves, wash hands for 20 seconds, put on new gloves and use a clean utensil. Rule of thumb: wash hands, then change gloves.