As a food handler, your own hygiene has a direct impact on food safety. Poor personal hygiene is a common cause of contamination and food poisoning.

This module covers hand washing, personal habits, protective clothing and what to do if you are ill or injured.

We will cover the main areas of personal hygiene for food handlers:

• Hand washing: The importance of hand washing and the correct procedure for doing so.
• Hygiene considerations: Personal hygiene habits and considerations that keep food safe.
• Protective clothing: Types of protective clothing and gloves, and how to use them correctly.
• Wounds & illness: How to manage common wounds and sores, and when to report illness.

Wash your hands regularly throughout the day to prevent transferring food-poisoning bacteria. By law, all food premises must have hand-washing basins with hot and cold water, soap and drying facilities.

You should always wash your hands:

• As soon as you enter a food preparation area.
• Before handling food, especially high-risk food.
• After handling raw food, including eggs.
• After handling waste, rubbish or packaging.
• After using the toilet, or blowing your nose.
• After touching your face, hair or cleaning duties.

Effective hand washing follows a set routine. Steps one to four:

• Step 1: Wet your hands with warm water and apply enough soap to cover them.
• Step 2: Rub your hands palm to palm in circular motions, clockwise and anticlockwise.
• Step 3: Link the fingers of one hand on top of the other and rub, then swap hands.
• Step 4: Link your fingers together, facing each other, then rub your palms and fingers.

Finish washing thoroughly and dry your hands hygienically:

• Step 5: Interlock your fingers and rub the backs of them against your palms.
• Step 6: Enclose each thumb in the opposite hand and rub as you rotate it, then swap.
• Step 7: Turn hand-operated taps off with your elbow or a paper towel, then dry with a single-use towel.

People often do things without thinking, which can lead to bad habits and cause contamination of food. As a food handler you must refrain from:

• Picking or scratching your nose, or wiping it on your sleeve.
• Tasting food with your finger or an unwashed spoon.
• Blowing on cutlery or glasses before polishing.
• Eating sweets or chewing gum when handling food.
• Biting your nails or licking your fingers.
• Using a tea towel to wipe your hands instead of washing them.
• Washing hands in the food-preparation sink rather than the dedicated hand-wash sink.

Consider the following things that may contaminate food:

• Hair: Always tie hair back and wear a head covering; cover facial hair with a beard covering. Put these on before other protective clothing.
• Jewellery: Don't wear jewellery or wristwatches — stones and metal can fall into food. A plain wedding band may be allowed at your workplace's discretion.
• Smoking: Only smoke in designated areas, remove protective clothing first, and always wash your hands afterwards.

The following also pose a contamination risk:

• Perfume: Avoid strong-smelling perfumes, as the smell can taint food, especially food with a high fat content.
• Heavy make-up: Avoid heavy make-up or mascara, as it can flake off into food or onto surfaces.
• False eyelashes: False lashes can trap dirt and bacteria and may detach, causing physical contamination.
• Nail polish & nails: Keep nails short and clean. Avoid nail polish or artificial nails, which can chip or detach into food.

Have you seen any bad habits in your workplace?

Think about how small, unconscious habits — like touching your face or tasting with a finger — could put customers at risk, and how you could set a better example.

Protective clothing reduces the risk of food being contaminated by anything on your body. It may include overalls, aprons and jackets, hats, hairnets and beard coverings, and disposable food-grade gloves.

It should completely cover your normal clothing, be clean, ideally light-coloured and without external pockets. Wear it at all times except when visiting the toilet, travelling to work or on breaks. Choose non-slip shoes that fully cover the foot.

If you wear protective gloves to handle food, they must be food grade. Gloves can become just as contaminated as hands, so:

• Change gloves as often as you would wash your hands — never wear the same gloves to prepare food, empty a bin, then return to food.
• Replace damaged gloves immediately.
• Change gloves after handling high-risk foods and foods containing allergens.
• Never wipe your hands or gloves on your clothing.
• Always wash your hands before putting gloves on.

If you are ill, you are likely to be a contamination risk to food and other people, so you must inform your manager. Report if you have:

• Food poisoning, diarrhoea, vomiting or nausea.
• Ear, eye or nose discharge.
• Cold or flu-like symptoms.
• Cuts, boils, open wounds or broken skin.
• Any other skin conditions or infections.

In Ireland, the FSAI advises that food handlers who are ill report to their manager and stay away from food handling. If you are deemed not fit to work, you must not return until you have been symptom-free for 48 hours.

Cover any cut, wound or sore with a brightly-coloured, waterproof plaster so it can be seen easily if it falls off. On catering premises, first-aid kits should include:

• Burn treatment sachets, burn-gel dressings and information on treating burns.
• Eyewash and treatment for eye injuries.
• Antiseptic wipes, hydrogel dressings and waterproof plasters.
• Conforming bandages for broken bones.

Skin conditions such as eczema can also cause contamination; sufferers may be excluded from food handling, though very mild cases may use protective gloves if correct procedures are followed.

To maintain good personal hygiene you should:

• Wash your hands thoroughly and often.
• Avoid bad habits that contaminate food.
• Tie hair back and avoid jewellery, perfume and nail polish.
• Wear clean protective clothing and change gloves regularly.
• Cover wounds with a blue plaster.
• Report illness to your manager and stay away when unfit.