Personal Hygiene and Food Handler Health
What this domain tests
This domain covers the food handler as a contamination source and the legal health checks Kenya requires. Expect questions on handwashing, protective clothing, illness reporting, exclusion from work, wounds, and the food handler medical certificate issued through county public health services.
Core rules
- Handwash before handling food, after using the toilet, after handling raw meat, after touching the face or rubbish, and after breaks. Use soap and running water, then dry with a disposable towel or hot-air dryer.
- Wear clean protective clothing: light-coloured overalls or aprons, hair covering, and closed footwear. Remove jewellery and watches; keep nails short and unpainted.
- Cover wounds with a waterproof, brightly coloured dressing plus a finger stall or glove.
- No eating, drinking, smoking or chewing in food-handling areas.
- Report symptoms - diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, sore throat, jaundice, skin infection - to the supervisor before starting work.
- Medical examination: most counties require a food handler certificate before employment and renewal, commonly every 12 months. It follows clinical assessment and laboratory checks such as stool examination; the certificate is personal and does not cover other staff.
Worked example
A handler develops diarrhoea before a lunch shift. She takes an anti-diarrhoeal tablet and reports for work because she feels well. This is wrong: she may be shedding Salmonella, Shigella or norovirus, and medication does not remove infectivity. She should report to the supervisor, be excluded from food handling, and return only when symptom-free and, where required, cleared by a public health officer or clinician.
Traps that cost marks
- Gloves do not replace handwashing; they can spread contamination if worn between tasks.
- A valid certificate does not prove a handler is currently healthy.
- "No symptoms" does not mean "not infectious".
- A certificate from another county or an expired certificate may not satisfy the local authority.
- Hand sanitiser is not a substitute for soap and water where hands are visibly soiled.