The Safe Foodhandler

4-1
Apply Your Knowledge: Test Your Food Safety Knowledge

1. True or False: During handwashing, foodhandlers

must vigorously scrub their hands and arms for five
seconds
2. True or False: Gloves should be changed before
beginning a different task

3. True or False: Foodhandlers must wash their hands

after smoking

4. True or False: A foodhandler diagnosed with

shigellosis cannot continue to work at an
establishment while he or she has the illness

5. True or False: Hand antiseptics should only be used

before handwashing

4-2 4-2
How Foodhandlers Contaminate Food

Foodhandlers can contaminate food

when they:
 Have a foodborne illness
 Show symptoms of gastrointestinal
illness
 Have infected wounds or cuts
 Live with, or are exposed to, a person
who is ill
 Touch anything that may contaminate
their hands

4-3
How Foodhandlers Contaminate Food

Behaviors That Can Contaminate Food

A
B
A Scratching the scalp D
C E Touching a pimple or
open sore
B Running fingers E

through hair F Wearing a dirty uniform

C Wiping or touching G Coughing or sneezing into
the nose the hand
F
D H Spitting in the establishment

Rubbing an ear G

4-4
Components of a Good Personal Hygiene Program

Good personal hygiene includes:

 Maintaining personal cleanliness
 Wearing proper work attire
 Following hygienic hand practices
 Avoiding unsanitary habits and actions
 Maintaining good health
 Reporting illnesses

4-5
Hygienic Hand Practices: Handwashing
Proper Handwashing Procedure
The whole process should take 20 seconds

1 Wet hands with running 2 Apply soap 3 Vigorously scrub hands

water as hot as you can and arms for ten to fifteen
comfortably stand (at least seconds Clean under
100°F/38°C) fingernails and between
fingers

4 Rinse thoroughly 5 5 Dry hands and arms with

under running water a single-use paper towel
or warm-air hand dryer
Use a paper towel to turn
off the faucet.

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Hygienic Hand Practices: Hand Antiseptics

Hand Antiseptics
 Must comply with Food and Drug
Administration standards
 Should be used after handwashing (if
used in the establishment)
 Must never be used in place of
handwashing

4-7
Hygienic Hand Practices: When to Wash Hands

Foodhandlers must wash their

hands after:
 Using the restroom
 Handling raw meat, poultry, and
fish (before and after)
 Touching the hair, face, or body
 Sneezing, coughing, or using
a tissue
 Smoking, eating, drinking, or chewing
gum or tobacco

4-8
Hygienic Hand Practices: When to Wash Hands

Foodhandlers must wash their

hands after: continued
 Handling chemicals that might
affect food safety
 Taking out garbage
 Clearing tables or bussing dirty dishes
 Touching clothing or aprons
 Touching anything else that may
contaminate hands, such as unsanitized
equipment, work surfaces, or washcloths

4-9
Hygienic Hand Practices: Bare-Hand Contact

Bare-Hand Contact with

Ready-to-Eat Food

Some jurisdictions allow it but require

written policies and procedures on:
 Employee health
 Handwashing
 Other hygienic practices

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Hygienic Hand Practices: Hand Maintenance

Requirements for Foodhandlers

Keep fingernails Do not wear false Bandage cuts and

short and clean nails or nail polish cover bandages

4-11
Hygienic Hand Practices: Gloves

Gloves used for handling food:

 Must never be used in place of
handwashing
 Are for single use only
 Should be right for the task
 Must be safe, durable, and clean
 Must fit properly
 Must be used properly

4-12
Hygienic Hand Practices: Gloves

When to Change Gloves

 As soon as they become
soiled or torn
 Before beginning a different
task
 At least every four hours during
continual use and more often
when necessary
 After handling raw meat and before
handling cooked or ready-to-eat food

4-13
Proper Work Attire

Foodhandlers should: A

A Wear a clean hat or other B

hair restraint
B Wear clean clothing daily
D
C Remove aprons when leaving
food-preparation areas C

D Remove jewelry from hands and arms

E Wear appropriate, clean, and closed-
toe shoes E

4-14
Policies Regarding Eating, Drinking, and Smoking

Foodhandlers must not:

 Smoke, chew gum or tobacco, eat or
drink

When
 Preparing or serving food
 Working in food-preparation areas
 Working in areas used to clean utensils
and equipment

4-15
Handling Employee Illnesses
IF: THEN:
 The foodhandler has a  Restrict the employee from working
sore throat with fever with or around food
 Exclude the employee from the
establishment if you primarily serve a
high-risk population

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Handling Employee Illnesses
IF: THEN:
 The foodhandler has  Exclude the employee from the
one or more of the establishment
following symptoms:  Do not allow employees with vomiting or
 Vomiting diarrhea to return to work unless they:
 Have been symptom-free for 24
 Diarrhea hours
 Jaundice or
 Have a written release from a
medical practitioner
 Do not allow employees with jaundice to
return to work unless they have been
released by a medical practitioner

4-17
Handling Employee Illnesses
IF: THEN:
 The foodhandler has  Exclude the employee from the
been diagnosed with a establishment and notify the local
foodborne illness regulatory agency
caused by:  Work with the employee’s medical
 Salmonella Typhi practitioner and/or the local regulatory
agency to determine when he or she can
 Shigella spp. safely return to work
 Shiga toxin-producing
E. coli
 Hepatitis A virus
 Norovirus

4-18
Apply Your Knowledge: Exclusion or
Restriction?

Should you:
 Exclude the foodhandler from the
establishment
 Restrict the foodhandler from working
with or around food

 Bill, a line cook at a family restaurant has

a sore throat with a fever
 Joe, a prep cook, has diarrhea
 Mary, a sous chef, has been diagnosed
with hepatitis A

4-194-19
Apply Your Knowledge:
What’s Wrong with This Picture?

4-204-20