Food borne illness is the most serious food safety problem in the United States today. Maintaining proper hygiene by using good hand washing practices is the single most important means of preventing the spread of infection. This simple procedure when done effectively and consistently greatly reduces the possibility of making a person seriously ill or even to die.
First employees need to be trained in the importance of good hygiene by washing their hands. Training and education should be a continuous effort, particularly with inexperienced food-service workers. Additionally enforcement of hand washing must take place in order for all food-service workers to be vigilant of this minor yet important task. A high degree of personal hygiene should be required of food workers. Uniforms should be clean and changed often and employees should bathe or shower often. Food-service workers should never perform food service tasks when ill.
Because many infectious diseases take a number of hours or even days to incubate, before a person shows outward signs of being sick, it is critical that all employees be considered potentially infected, and handle food accordingly. Instead of merely requiring employees to wash and glove after using the toilet, employees must be encouraged to wash their hands frequently throughout the work day. Food service workers who smoke, put their hands to their mouths and then when they touch food contaminate it with their own saliva.
Food-service workers who move from station to station preparing a wide variety of food types need to always wash their hands between tasks. This helps to deter cross contamination of the food that they are preparing. Effectively washing your hands entails using soap and water and rubbing your hands and fingers together for at least 20 seconds. After thoroughly washing your hands, preferably use a paper towel to dry your hands. The use of cloth towels only re-contaminates clean hands, and blowers loose their effectiveness because employees tend to stop before their hands are dry, and then finish drying their hands off on their clothes. Hand wash stations must be kept clean as well. If the soap dispenser is filthy or a bar of soap is left in a pool of stagnant water what is the point?
By having hand wash stations that are clean and readily available, you will increase the likelihood of your food-service workers taking the time to wash their hands. Food-service workers can contaminate the food they prepare or serve through hand contact with contaminated objects such as money, discarded food, tableware, countertops and soiled clothing. The use of gloves also does not preclude a person from the need to practice good hygiene.
Gloves tare and brake and the dirty hands are then exposed to the food. In conclusion, practicing good personal hygiene through frequent and proper washing of your hands, not only reduces the chances of a person getting personally ill, but also helps to ensure that the person eating the food does not get sick as well. Maintaining clean hand wash stations, training on the importance of personal hygiene and being diligent to these simple yet safe practices are imperative to all.