Personal Hygiene – and finally…

We’re nearly finished this section now, just a couple more points and we’re through…

Protective Clothing

By law commercial food handlers must wear suitable clean clothing. Everyday clothing can contain bacteria so you should wear over-clothing or uniforms when working in the food preparation area. A soiled uniform can spread bacteria, so in some cases a change of uniform might be required more than once per day.

Smoking

It is against the law to smoke in any commercial or public food preparation area. Your hands can pick up bacteria from your mouth or from the cigarette end and transfer them to the food or work surfaces. Cigarette ash could also fall into the food.

Illness

If you are suffering from certain illnesses, such as a stomach disorder, cold, cough, eye or ear discharge, you should report it to your supervisor. You should also report it if someone you live with is suffering from a stomach bug – you might be a carrier of the bacteria.

Some employers are very strict about this and even require you to provide stool samples as well as having your hands regularly checked for cuts.

If you visit a doctor with any of the above complaints, you should tell the doctor that you are a food handler.

This is Chapter Three, Part Fifteen in a series of articles broadly similar to the course offered by the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health for its Food Hygiene Certificate.
Chapter Four: Pest Control
Return to the start of Chapter Three