Three Staff, Three Different Answers: Illness, a Cut, and a Recent Symptom
07:05, Saturday, a 120-seat brunch restaurant. The sous-chef is covering for a manager on vacation and takes three calls before the 10:00 service. Cook A vomited once at 03:00 and now says he feels fine; he wants to work the shift. Yesterday he portioned cooked pasta and plated salads with his bare hands. Prep cook B sliced her knuckle an hour ago; the cut is about 2 cm, not deep, and she has covered it with a blue detectable bandage. She asks whether she can keep prepping salad greens. Server C mentions she had diarrhea three days ago that resolved on its own without treatment, but she still feels "a bit off." The restaurant has no written exclusion policy, one handwashing sink that is partly blocked by a stack of bus tubs, and a Saturday brunch that will run 300 covers. No one has kept an illness log.
1. Decide the work status of A, B and C, and state the reasoning and return-to-work criteria for each.
Read the worked answer
Cook A - exclude from all food handling. Vomiting within the last 24 hours is a classic norovirus signal, and norovirus has a very low infectious dose. He must not touch food, utensils or food-contact surfaces. In most Canadian jurisdictions he may return 48 hours after symptoms resolve and after reporting the absence to the person in charge (confirm the exact period with your local health authority; some require clearance and stool testing after a diagnosed pathogen such as E. coli O157, Salmonella Typhi, Shigella, hepatitis A or norovirus). He should also be asked whether anyone else in his household is ill.
Separately: his bare-hand contact with cooked pasta and plated salads is itself a violation. Ready-to-eat food requires clean gloves, tongs or utensils.
Prep cook B - may work with controls. A small, clean, non-infected, non-draining cut can be worked with if it is covered by a waterproof detectable bandage and a single-use glove over the bandage, and the glove is changed whenever it tears, soils, or she leaves the prep area. If the wound becomes red, swollen, draining or she cannot keep it covered, restrict her to non-food-contact duties or send her home. She must report the cut to the person in charge.
Server C - may work. Diarrhea resolved 3 days ago, so she is beyond 48 hours symptom-free. She should not handle ready-to-eat food if she feels unwell, must report any recurrence immediately, and should be reminded about handwashing after the washroom.
2. What must the sous-chef document, and what must be reported to the health authority?
Read the worked answer
Document, in a simple illness/injury log kept on site:
- Date and time each report was made, who reported it, symptoms described, and the decision taken (excluded / restricted / permitted with controls) with the name of the decision-maker.
- For A: symptom onset, last day worked, last time he handled ready-to-eat food, expected return date, and the 48-hour count.
- For B: the cut, the bandage and glove control, and monitoring.
- For C: symptom history and the advice given.
Report to the local health authority when required by your jurisdiction - typically a diagnosed reportable enteric infection in a food handler, illness in two or more people linked to the establishment, or any suspected outbreak. Vomiting in a single handler is not automatically reportable, but an inspector will want to see that it was assessed.
Also review the food A handled yesterday: pasta and plated salads have been served, so there is no recall, but check whether any of that product is still in the cooler and discard it. Sanitize the prep surfaces, utensils and the sink area he used, unblock the handwashing sink, and check whether any other staff member has symptoms.
3. Write the four clauses you would put in a written exclusion and hygiene policy so the next manager does not have to improvise.
Read the worked answer
Duty to report, before every shift. Staff must tell the person in charge if they have vomiting, diarrhea, fever, jaundice, a sore throat with fever, an infected wound, or a diagnosis of a reportable enteric illness. Reporting is a condition of employment and carries no penalty.
Exclusion and restriction rules with numbers. Vomiting or diarrhea: excluded until 48 hours symptom-free. Diagnosed E. coli O157, Salmonella Typhi, Shigella, hepatitis A or norovirus: excluded pending health-authority clearance. Wounds: covered wound plus single-use glove; if it cannot be covered, restricted to non-food-contact duties.
Barriers and hand hygiene. No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food - gloves, tongs or utensils only. Designated handwashing sinks, stocked and never used for dumping or storage; handwashing at required trigger points; glove changes documented in the supervisor's check.
Roles and records. The person in charge is named on every shift, holds authority to send staff home, keeps the illness log and corrective action records, and briefs the team. Policy is signed at induction and re-briefed annually, with the local health authority's contact numbers posted.