Bakery Assistant Returning After Vomiting and Diarrhoea
At 7:40 am on Saturday, a bakery assistant texts the manager: 'I had diarrhoea Wednesday night and vomited twice Thursday morning. I've been fine since Thursday lunchtime. Can I come in for the 8 am shift? I'm only doing sandwiches and cakes today.' The assistant also has a small plaster on an uncovered cut on their right index finger. The bakery has four staff; the Saturday market starts at 9 am and 120 filled rolls are pre-ordered. The manager knows the assistant's child was sent home from nursery on Tuesday with suspected norovirus. The assistant has not had a stool sample tested and has not been given clearance by a doctor. The manager needs someone to prepare ready-to-eat food.
1. Should the assistant work the 8 am shift? Explain using the symptoms, timing and duties.
Read the worked answer
No, not for food handling at 8 am. The assistant had diarrhoea on Wednesday night and vomiting on Thursday morning, with the last symptom at Thursday lunchtime. Standard exclusion for food handlers with diarrhoea and/or vomiting is 48 hours after the last episode. At 8 am Saturday that 48-hour period is not complete; it ends around lunchtime Saturday. The assistant must not prepare ready-to-eat sandwiches, cakes or anything that will not be cooked. The suspected norovirus in the child increases the likelihood that this is viral gastroenteritis, which is highly infectious. The cut finger is a separate issue: it must be covered with a waterproof, detectable plaster; if the plaster cannot stay secure or the cut is weeping, no food handling. The manager should not accept the text as clearance.
2. What information should the manager obtain, and what alternative work, if any, could be offered?
Read the worked answer
Ask for the exact dates and times of the last diarrhoea and vomiting, whether there is fever, abdominal pain or new symptoms, whether a doctor or stool test has been involved, and whether the child's illness is confirmed. A stool sample should not be a routine condition of return; use a health questionnaire instead. Offer only non-food-handling work that cannot contaminate food or food-contact surfaces, and only if the assistant feels well and can maintain hygiene. Cleaning tasks involving food-contact surfaces or toilets are not suitable while potentially infectious. The safest option is to stay off until 48 hours after the last symptom, then return with a signed return-to-work check. If the shift cannot be covered, reduce the menu or buy in safe ready-made products rather than use an infectious handler.
3. When can the assistant return to normal duties, and what records and staff communication are needed?
Read the worked answer
Return to normal food handling after at least 48 hours symptom-free, that is after Saturday lunchtime if there are no further symptoms; the manager should confirm by phone or in person before the next shift. The assistant should be reminded to report any recurrence immediately. Record the report, symptoms, dates, advice given, exclusion period and return date. Keep the record confidential. Brief the team that illness reporting is required and that cover will be arranged; do not identify the individual unnecessarily. If the assistant returns while the child is still unwell, reinforce hand hygiene and require immediate reporting of any symptoms. The cut must remain covered and checked. If symptoms recur, exclude the assistant again and seek medical advice. This protects both the public and the assistant.