Personal Hygiene and Hand Hygiene
Personal hygiene is the first line of defence against contaminating food. Candidates must know when hands must be washed: before starting work, after using the toilet, after handling raw food, after touching the face/hair/phone, after cleaning, after handling rubbish, and after coughing or sneezing. The correct method: wet hands, apply soap, lather and scrub including backs, between fingers, thumbs and under nails for at least 20 seconds, rinse, then dry thoroughly with single-use paper or a hand dryer - drying matters because wet hands transfer bacteria more readily.
Understand the rules on hand basins: dedicated, supplied with hot and cold water, soap and drying, used only for handwashing (never for food prep or equipment washing). Nail polish, false nails, jewellery (except a plain band) and watches harbour bacteria and are typically prohibited. Cuts must be covered with a brightly coloured waterproof dressing and, where required, a detectable blue strip.
Know the rules on illness reporting: staff with vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, sore throat with fever, jaundice, or infected skin lesions must report to their supervisor and be excluded from food handling. Returning after gastroenteritis usually requires 48 hours symptom-free. Smoking, eating, drinking and chewing gum are not permitted in food areas.
Traps: questions test sequence (soap before scrubbing, drying last) and the reason (removing transient bacteria, not sterilising). Watch for 'gloves replace handwashing' - they do not; gloves must still be changed between tasks and after touching raw food.
Rule of thumb: Wash for 20 seconds, dry completely, and change gloves as often as you would wash hands.