Personal Hygiene and Health of Food Handlers
What the exam tests
This domain tests hand hygiene, healthy work practices, clothing, illness reporting and the food handler's legal duty to protect food from contamination.
Core rules
- Wash hands with soap and potable water for at least 20 seconds: before starting work, after using the toilet, after handling raw meat or waste, after cleaning, after coughing or sneezing, and after using a phone.
- Do not handle ready-to-eat food with bare hands; use clean tongs, utensils or gloves. Gloves are not a substitute for handwashing.
- Wear clean outer clothing and an apron; restrain hair; keep nails short and clean; remove jewellery and nail polish.
- Exclude or restrict handlers with diarrhoea, vomiting, jaundice, fever with sore throat, or infected wounds on hands. Report to the supervisor and follow MOH/PHI advice; a common return rule is 48 hours symptom-free.
- Hold a valid food handler medical certificate where required by the MOH/PHI.
Worked example
A cook has diarrhoea at 6 am but feels better by noon and wants to prepare lunch. The correct decision is to stay off food handling and report the illness. Symptoms can shed pathogens after feeling better, and the cook may contaminate ready-to-eat food through hands or shared surfaces.
Traps that cost marks
- Thinking gloves replace handwashing.
- Using hand sanitiser instead of soap and water when hands are visibly soiled.
- Treating a medical certificate as permanent immunity; health status must be reported.
- Returning to work immediately after symptoms stop without advice.