Personal hygiene and proper handwashing are important for food safety. Germs can easily spread and cause foodborne illness if sick workers handle food. Good hygiene habits include washing hands thoroughly with soap and water for 20 seconds after using the bathroom, touching your face, handling raw meat or garbage, sneezing or coughing. Workers should also keep nails trimmed, use hair restraints, wear proper clothing, cover cuts and stay home if sick to prevent contamination and spreading germs in food preparation areas.

1. Health Habits
and Hygiene
Ms. Rene C. Miking

2. What does good personal hygiene mean?
Find the answer to these and other important
food safety questions including:
1. Proper handwashing and when it’s important.
2. How to avoid bare had contact with ready to
eat foods – Glove use
3. How personal habits can affect food safety.
Personal habits and their effect on food safety.

3. Of all the types of hazards that arise from unsafe food
handling practices, is the
most common. Germs are everywhere, and some can
make us sick. It’s those harmful that cause
foodborne illness.
is one of the most important
factors to preventing foodborne illness.
If you are sick, do not go for work. Germs can easily
be spread if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms,
jaundice or other illness.
If you’re sick stay home. Remember the 24 hour rule-
Vomitting, Diarrhea, Jaundice, or fever with sore
throat. Stay home for 24 hours after the last
symptom.

4. If there are pupils or workers that are sick, to avoid risking
others, let them go home have medications and relax.
Come back to school or work if you feel better already.
Besides being aware of your own health and knowing that
when you are sick, you keep the public away from risk.
Being aware of your personal hygiene is another aspect of
avoiding contaminants in the food you serve. In fact food
workers with good personal hygiene save lives.
To avoid contamination in handling food and also before
eating, follow the hand washing protocol.

5. 1. Follow hand washing rules
2. Keep fingernails trimmed
3. Use hair restraints when needed
4. Wear proper work clothing
5. Always cover cuts and burns
6. Never work while you are sick
In these case spreading of germs in the kitchen can be
avoided.
We all have already learned handwashing at very young
age, but for those who work as food handler, cooks,
serving food even in our home. It is important to
relearn the proper way as compliance with the Health
Department Guidelines.

6. When to wash your hands?
1. Wash your hands throughout the day, even when hands
look clean
2. Before touching or preparing food
3. After contamination with germs
Sources of contamination
1. Using the bathroom
2. Touching you face or nose
3. Handling raw meat, fish or poultry
4. Sneezing, coughing or blowing one’s nose
5. Handling garbage or dirty dishes
6. Handling animals or using chemicals
7. After taking a break, or eating

7. The six handwashing steps
1. Wet hands
2. Apply soap and scrub
3. Rub for 20 seconds
4. Scrub back of hands and between fingers
5. Rinse hands
6. Dry with a disposable towel or dryer