Personal Hygiene and Health of Food Handlers
Handwashing that actually works
Wet hands, apply soap, lather for about 20 seconds covering palms, backs, between fingers, thumbs, fingertips and nails, rinse under running water, dry with a disposable towel, and use the towel to turn off the tap. Wash before starting work, after the toilet, after handling raw meat or eggs, after waste, after breaks, after touching the face, phone, or money, and between raw and ready-to-eat tasks.
Dress and behaviour
- Clean, light-coloured outer clothing or apron, changed when soiled.
- Hair fully covered; beard covering where required.
- Short, clean nails; no polish, no false nails, no watches, rings, or bracelets.
- No eating, drinking, smoking, or chewing in food areas.
- Cuts and grazes covered with a distinct waterproof dressing, ideally detectable.
- No bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food - use tongs, utensils, or single-use gloves changed at task boundaries.
Health status
Handlers with diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, jaundice, infected wounds, or a sore throat with fever must report and be excluded. Carriers of typhoid or other infectious organisms must not handle food. Vaccination and medical checks support, but do not replace, daily self-monitoring.
Worked example
A handler develops diarrhoea on Friday but feels better on Saturday and arrives for the lunch shift. Correct decision: report and stay off food handling. Gastrointestinal symptoms can shed organisms for days after recovery, and a "feels fine" judgement is not the test. The supervisor arranges cover and records the exclusion.
Traps that cost marks
- Washing hands only after the toilet and not after handling raw food.
- Believing nail polish or rings are acceptable if hands are washed.
- Returning to work 24 hours after symptoms stop without advice - exclusion periods depend on the organism.
- Using hand sanitiser instead of soap and water where hands are visibly soiled.