Personal Hygiene

1. Personal Hygiene

2. Personal Hygiene
• The human body is the source of many types of
contamination and also a common medium of cross
contamination.
• Personal Hygiene affects food safety, as well as the customers
impressions of food premises.
• Many food borne illnesses are traced to employees who
handle food.
• Food service employees should not cough or sneeze into their
hands, scratch their heads, touch their faces, or otherwise
practice habits that will contaminate their hands and the food
they are working with.
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 2

3. Hygiene
Pathogens are commonly found on the
skin and in the noses of healthy people.
Scratching the head and nose can result
in bacteria being transferred by hands
onto food, which may cause illnesses to
customers. Smoking in food rooms may
cause food contamination by cigarette
ends, ash or hands. Prevention of food-
borne illnesses should begin with good
personal hygiene practices by food
handlers in both personal cleanliness
and habits to prevent contamination of
food by pathogens.
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 3

4. It is vital that good standards of personal hygiene are maintained by
food handlers, and all kitchen staff. Contaminated hands will spread
bacteria around a kitchen very quickly.
There are six factors that should be considered in relation to
personal hygiene:
1. Appearance
2. Personal Habits
3. Health Conditions
4. Health Management
5. Hand Hygiene
6. Protective Clothing
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 4

5. Personal Habits
• Staff engaged in food handling should not be assigned to handle
cash as well.
• When sneezing or coughing inside food preparation area is
unavoidable, food handlers should turn away from food and cover
their nose and mouth. Hands should then be thoroughly cleaned at
once.
In food preparation areas, one should avoid the following behaviors
which may result in the contamination of food:
• Storing personal belongings in
any food preparation area
• Smoking cigarettes or tobacco
• Chewing, eating, sneezing, or
coughing over unprotected food
• Touching ready-to-eat food with
bare hands
• Spitting
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 5

6. Health Conditions
• Supervisors should prohibit staff who are suffering from intestinal infectious
diseases from handling food or equipment.
• Until the staff member has been certified by a doctor that he/she has fully
recovered, or the symptoms have stopped for 48 hours.
In addition, staff medical records should be kept properly for future reference when
needed.
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 6

7. Health Conditions
PERSONAL HEALTH
• Staff with symptoms of acute intestinal
infectious diseases like diarrhea and
vomiting or a sore throat should not
handle food.
• Report the illness or symptoms of the
illness to the employer or supervisor, and
seek medical treatment.
• Staff should immediately be suspended
from engaging in any work which may
involve direct or indirect contact with food,
including contact with food utensils or
equipment.
• Staff ordered by health officers to cease
working or taking part in food business
should have written clearance from health
officers before returning to handle food.
INJURIES
• Open cuts or wounds on the exposed parts
of the body should be completely protected
by impermeable waterproof gloves or
adhesive plasters.
• Bandages or plasters should not be flesh-
coloured, so that they can be easily detected
if they fall off.
• Bandages or plasters should be changed
regularly.
• In case of peeling or bleeding sores on
exposed body parts which cannot be
properly covered, staff should be suspended
from work until the wounds are healed.
• In case of bleeding sores in eyes, ears,
mouth and gums, staff should stop working.Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 7

8. Health Management
HEALTH CHECKS
• Supervisor should review the applicants’
past health records, such as whether they
have ever been patients of food-borne
infectious diseases or are carriers of certain
diseases and consider whether the
applicants are suitable for handling food, in
order to prevent transmission of harmful
bacteria to food in the daily work.
• Employers should require job applicants to
fill out health questionnaires and health
declaration forms. If necessary, blood and
stool samples for further test may be
required upon applicants’ consent.
HEALTH SURVEILLANCE
Staff who are suffering from diseases,
especially those which are highly
contagious, should report their health
conditions to their supervisors and stop
handling food.
• Diarrhoea
• Vomiting or Stomach upset
• Fever or Flu
• Throat inflammation
• Skin rash or other skin injuries, such
as boils or wounds
• Ear, Eye and Nasal discharge
• Infectious hepatitis
Health management should include the health checks for new recruits and health records for
serving staff.
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 8

9. Hand Hygiene
To prevent bacteria from contaminating the food after the food
handlers have touched the surrounding objects during their work,
food handlers should wash their hands in the following situations:
• Before commencing work
• Before handling food
• After using the toilet
• After handling raw food
• After handling soiled
equipment or utensils
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 9

10. HAND WASH PROCDURE
1. Wet the hands with running water,
preferably warm water
2. Apply liquid soap
3. Rub hands for 20 seconds, wash
thoroughly
4. Rinse hands
5. Dry hands with a paper towel
6. Turn off the tap with a paper towel
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 10

11. HAND HYGIENE
• Check the hygiene of their hands regularly or perform random check from time to
time
• Install hand-washing facilities on the way to workplace to facilitate hand washing
before entering and after leaving the workplace
• Wash basins shall be kept clean, ensured of adequate water supply, preferably
with hot water, and equipped with liquid soap and suitable hand drying facilities
• Hand washing should be frequent, thorough and performed in hand washing
basins Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 11

12. Protective Clothing
• Kitchen staff should wear the appropriate clothing, which plays a specific role in
protecting the professional from everyday kitchen dangers.
• Protective clothing also ensures that food is handled and prepared in a safe and
sanitary environment.
The dress code for kitchen staff should
include the following:
• Light-colored, clean uniform
• Buttons should be avoided on the clothing
as they may come off and fall into the food
• Hair should be covered with a clean hat or
hair net and long hair should be tied back
• Wear disposable gloves when handling
ready-to-eat food
• Wear closed-cap toed shoes, with non-slip
soles
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 12

13. Illness Transmission
• Food handlers who are suffering from illnesses or open
wounds, and are allowed to take part in food activities may
spread Illnesses to customers.
• Food handlers can carry communicable diseases, especially if
they themselves have been infected. Some food poisoning
bacteria are commonly found on open wounds or cuts of their
bodies.
• Different types of communicable diseases can be
transmitted by consumption of food. Food handlers should
eliminate the opportunity for pathogenic micro-organisms
from being transferred to food and spread to the customer.
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 13

14. Activity
1. In which of the following situations should a food handler stop handling food, food utensils and
equipment?
a) When coughing.
b) When they have a wound on their hand which has been covered by a plaster.
c) If they have a stomach ache.
d) Stop handling food in all of the above situations.
2. When washing hands, how long should you spend rubbing hands with liquid soap?
a) 5 seconds.
b) 10 seconds.
c) 15 seconds.
d) 20 seconds.
3. Which of the following behaviors is not appropriate for food handlers?
a) Taking off earrings before working.
b) Eating in the common room.
c) Going to work with a cold.
d) Washing hands after touching money.
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 14

15. Lesson Summary
• It is vital that good standards of personal hygiene are
maintained by food handlers, and all kitchen staff.
Contaminated hands will spread bacteria around a kitchen
very quickly
• Health management should include the health checks for new
recruits and health records for serving staff. Many food borne
illnesses are traced to employees who handle food.
• Hand washing should be frequent, thorough and performed in
hand washing basins.
END OF TOPIC
Mrs. Himani Nikhil Batheja 15