Personal Hygiene and Hand Hygiene
Why hand hygiene is decisive
Hands are the most common route for transferring pathogens from toilets, raw food, waste and skin to ready-to-eat food. The exam tests technique, timing and the limits of gloves. Good hand hygiene is not optional: it is a legal duty and a core control in every food business.
Handwashing method
Wet hands with warm running water, apply liquid soap, and rub for at least 20 seconds. Cover palms, backs of hands, between fingers, thumbs, fingertips and nails. Rinse thoroughly under running water, dry with a disposable paper towel, and use that towel to turn off the tap if it is not automatic. Alcohol gel is an adjunct, not a substitute: it does not work well on visibly soiled hands, and it is not a replacement for washing after using the toilet or handling raw food.
When to wash
- Before starting work, after breaks and after using a phone.
- After using the toilet, blowing your nose, coughing or sneezing.
- After handling raw meat, poultry, eggs, fish or waste.
- After cleaning, touching bins or handling money.
- Before handling ready-to-eat food, even if you wore gloves earlier.
Protective clothing and personal standards
Wear clean protective clothing; keep hair covered or tied back; remove jewellery except a plain wedding band; avoid nail varnish, false nails and strong perfume. Cover cuts with a blue detectable plaster and, where required, a glove. Report skin infections, diarrhoea, vomiting, jaundice and fever.
Worked example
A handler leaves the toilet, puts on disposable gloves and returns to sandwich preparation. The error is putting on gloves without washing hands first. Gloves can become contaminated during donning and can spread pathogens; they are not a substitute for handwashing. The correct sequence is wash and dry hands, then don gloves, then handle ready-to-eat food.
Traps
- Using alcohol gel after the toilet instead of soap and water.
- Wearing gloves for hours without changing them.
- Wearing a plaster that is not detectable.
- Assuming long sleeves or jewellery are acceptable if clean.