Food handlers can be the most serious food safety hazard in a business. People carry harmful bacteria on their hands, skin, hair and clothing, and in their nose, mouth and gut.

Poor hand washing can spread bacteria and allergens, and the wrong dress code can let hair or jewellery fall into food. In this module, you will learn about hand washing, protective clothing, good habits, and what to do when you are ill or injured.

Food hygiene law requires food handlers to:

• Keep a high standard of personal cleanliness.
• Wear suitable, clean protective clothing.
• Report illness, infected wounds, skin infections, sores or diarrhoea to their supervisor, and not handle food while they could contaminate it.
• Take part in the supervision, instruction and training provided.
• Follow safe food handling practices at all times.

If you have diarrhoea or vomiting, tell your supervisor before you start work, and stay away from food handling.

You must not return to food work until you have been free of symptoms for at least 48 hours. For example, if you are ill on Monday and your symptoms stop on Tuesday, you should not return until Thursday.

Some businesses have their own return-to-work rules, which may include a medical check, or working away from food for a while. If you are unsure, ask your supervisor.

You should also tell your supervisor before starting work if you:

• Live with, or have been in close contact with, someone who has diarrhoea or vomiting.
• Have been abroad and had sickness or diarrhoea, or been near someone who did.
• Have eaten food suspected of causing food poisoning.
• Have a skin infection, infected cut, boil or sore.
• Have a discharge from your eyes, ears or nose, or a severe cold.

Tell your doctor that you work with food.

Coughs and sneezes spread droplets that can carry bacteria and viruses a long way.

• If you have a persistent cough or are sneezing, do not work near open food.
• Always cover your mouth and nose, and turn away from food when you cough or sneeze.
• Use a disposable tissue, throw it away, and then wash your hands thoroughly.

Hands are one of the main ways bacteria reach food. Thorough, frequent hand washing is the most important hygiene habit of all.

Food hygiene law requires food businesses to provide enough hand washing basins, with hot and cold running water, soap, and hygienic hand drying, separate from the sinks used for food and equipment.

Keep fingernails short and clean. Do not wear nail varnish or false nails, as they can break off into food.

Always wash your hands:

• When you enter a food area, and before handling food, especially high-risk food.
• After handling raw food, including raw eggs, meat and unwashed vegetables.
• After using the toilet, and after breaks.
• After coughing, sneezing or blowing your nose, or touching your face or hair.
• After handling waste, cleaning, deliveries or packaging.
• After handling money.

• Use a basin kept for hand washing, never a sink used for food.
• Wet your hands under warm running water, between 35 °C and 45 °C.
• Apply liquid soap, and rub all surfaces for at least 20 seconds: palms, backs, between the fingers, thumbs, fingertips and nails.
• Rinse thoroughly under running water.
• Dry your hands with a disposable paper towel, and use it to turn off the tap if the tap is hand-operated.

Hand gels and wet wipes are not a substitute for washing with soap and water.

Disposable gloves can help, but they are not a substitute for hand washing. Gloves pick up bacteria just as hands do.

• Use food-grade gloves only.
• Wash your hands before putting gloves on.
• Change gloves between tasks, after handling raw food or allergens, and whenever they are torn or dirty.
• Change them as often as you would wash your hands.

Many hygiene mistakes are made without thinking. When handling food, never:

• Touch, pick or wipe your nose, or bite your nails.
• Taste food with your fingers, or with an unwashed spoon.
• Eat, chew gum or smoke in food areas.
• Lick your fingers to open bags or separate paper.
• Blow on glasses or cutlery to polish them.
• Wipe your hands on your clothing or a tea towel instead of washing them.

• Tie long hair back, and cover it with a hairnet or hat. Cover beards with a beard snood. Put head coverings on before other protective clothing.
• Adjust your hair or head covering away from food areas, never over open food.
• Do not wear jewellery or watches when handling food. They trap dirt and bacteria, and stones or small parts can fall into food. Some workplaces allow a plain wedding band.
• Do not wear strong perfume or aftershave, as the smell can taint food.

Clean protective clothing protects food from dirt and bacteria on your everyday clothes. It should be clean, washable, preferably light-coloured, with no outside pockets, and cover your own clothes fully.

Wear it at all times in food areas. Take it off when you go to the toilet, on breaks, and when travelling to and from work. Never wipe your hands on it, and change it if it becomes dirty.

Wear closed, low-heeled, non-slip shoes.

Protective clothing protects food from the dirt and bacteria carried on everyday clothes, so it only works if it is worn properly. Protective garments should cover your own clothing completely. Short-sleeved uniforms are acceptable, but only the forearms should be exposed. The order in which you dress also matters. Put your hairnet or hat on before any other protective clothing, so that loose hairs do not fall onto a clean uniform, and when you take things off, remove the rest of your protective clothing before your head covering.

If you need to adjust your hair or head covering, step away from the food area first. Footwear should have low heels, cover the whole foot and have non-slip soles. Avoid strong-smelling perfume or aftershave while handling food, because the scent can transfer onto food, especially products with a high fat content. And never wipe your hands on your protective clothing, because that spreads bacteria straight back onto the next thing you touch.

Smoking, including vaping, is not allowed in food areas. Only smoke in a designated area outside, away from food.

• Take off your protective clothing before you smoke.
• Wash your hands thoroughly afterwards, to remove bacteria picked up from touching your lips.
• Dispose of cigarette ends properly, so they are not carried back in on shoes.

Cuts, grazes and sores can carry harmful bacteria. Cover them completely with a blue, waterproof, detectable dressing. Blue stands out against food, and a detectable plaster can be found by metal detectors if it falls in.

If the wound is on your hand, wear a disposable glove over the dressing. Report any infected cut, sore or skin condition, such as eczema, to your supervisor before handling food.

Every workplace must have a suitably stocked first aid kit. In food businesses, it should include:

• Blue, waterproof, detectable plasters and dressings.
• Disposable gloves.
• Sterile eyewash, for splashes from chemicals or food.
• Burn dressings, where hot food or equipment is used.

Tell your supervisor if supplies run low, and report any injury at work.