Safety and Hygiene
Safety and Hygiene tests how you prevent accidents and infection at home, on the road, near water and with food. Answers should name the hazard, the rule and the corrective action.
Core rules and concepts
- Road safety: use footpaths and zebra crossings, look right-left-right before crossing in left-hand traffic, wear a helmet on two-wheelers, use seat belts, never use a phone while driving.
- Home safety: keep medicines and poisons out of reach, never mix cleaning chemicals, switch off gas and electrical appliances, keep sharp objects and hot vessels away from children.
- Water safety: never swim alone, check depth and currents, supervise children, use a life jacket in boats.
- Food hygiene: clean hands and surfaces, separate raw and cooked food, cook thoroughly, chill promptly, use safe water.
- Personal and menstrual hygiene: daily bath, clean cloth or pad changed regularly, safe disposal, handwashing after toilet and before food.
Worked example
Raw chicken is cut on a board, the board is wiped with a cloth, and salad is chopped on it. Reasoning: raw poultry juices can carry Salmonella or Campylobacter; wiping spreads rather than removes them. The salad is not cooked, so bacteria survive. Correct action: use separate boards, wash the board and knife with soap and hot water, wash hands, and keep raw meat away from ready-to-eat food.
Traps that cost marks
- Saying a helmet is needed only on long journeys.
- Believing raw vegetables are always safe without washing.
- Mixing bleach and acid cleaners, which releases toxic chlorine gas.
- Leaving a gas stove burning unattended.