Food safety: introduction to personal hygiene  (Page 4/4)

Any person working with the company who exhibits any of the following symptoms must be excluded from the factory or production area until the illness has subsided and that employee has been given clearance to return to work by the person responsible for food safety:

• jaundice
• diarrhea
• vomiting
• fever
• sore throat with fever
• visible, infected skin lesions (boils, cuts, etc.)
• discharges from the ear, eye, or nose
• excessive coughing and sneezing.

Identifying illnesses

As the person responsible for food safety, you must be fully aware of the symptoms of possible illnesses and also train supervisory staff to identify signs of illness in the employees they supervise. They should be trained to look for the visual signs of illness such as excessive sweating and high temperature. They should also be aware of other signs such as frequent visits to the toilet.

Supervisory staff needs to ensure steps are taken to exclude any employee who is identified as unwell.

You, as a supervisor, must also be aware of outbreaks of illnesses and look collectively at staff in the company to identify if certain individuals could have infected or are infecting others who work in the factory. In such cases, supervisory staff must be increasingly vigilant to identify those exhibiting symptoms of illness.

Reporting an illness

In many countries it is a legal obligation for an individual to inform his or her employer if he or she feels unwell or is suffering from an illness.

You should instill a culture of openness about reporting illnesses. When employees begin working for the company, they should be trained to report illnesses and not work in the factory if they believe they are unwell.

Staff should also be encouraged to report if members of their family are unwell and may thus have infected the worker who could then infect the food, even if he or she does not seem infected. In such cases, a supervisor should make a decision on the most appropriate course of action.

Control of an illness

If you have been informed of staff who are unwell or if you suspect that staff are unwell, you need to ensure that they are excluded from the factory until their symptoms subside and they no longer pose a risk of contamination to the product.

You should consult with a doctor or health practitioner to ensure appropriate tests and examinations are performed to determine that the ill employees do not return to work until it is safe.

When new employees are being considered, they should be questioned about their medical history and diseases or illnesses they have had or do currently have that could compromise the safety of the product. In the event that the product manufactured is high risk, then medical screening of applicants before employment may be necessary as a routine matter.

Personal behavior

A person’s behavior and personal habits can have a significant effect on the safety of a food product. Staff should be trained and supervised to ensure certain behaviors are discouraged.

Wherever possible, you should promote a culture of personal professionalism and pride in working in a food production environment. Employees should reflect the behavior expected of them. They should be carefully supervised to ensure appropriate behavior.

Improper activities

To prevent contamination of the product, people working within a production area must refrain from the following activities:

• smoking
• spitting
• chewing or eating
• sneezing or coughing over unprotected food, food packaging, or utensils that are used for
• food contact or cleaning
• licking fingers
• biting of fingernails.

Preferably drinking of any liquid should not be allowed in the production area. However, when drinking is allowed in the production area, it should be controlled and supervised to

make sure safety of the product is not compromised. Any drink vessel should be disposed of in an appropriate manner.

Visitor procedures

Visitors to a factory are subject to the same personal hygiene requirements as permanent employees.

Visitors, such as contractors coming to work on equipment or perform supply services such as pest control, may not be used to working within a food production environment, which means that there will be an increased risk of possible product contamination since there may not be proper hand-washing, wearing of appropriate protective clothing, or the proper “stashing away” of personal effects.

Personal hygiene for visitors

All visitors and contractors visiting the factory production area are subject to the same personal hygiene requirements as food handlers.

They must be provided with company-issued protective clothing and instructed to follow the equivalent standards of personal behavior as the food handlers. They are also to exhibit the equivalent standards of personal cleanliness as the food handlers.

Visitors to the factory can be permitted into the factory production area with appropriate protective clothing and instruction on hygiene standards; however, they must not be allowed direct contact with food products or pose any risk of product contamination.

Visitors to the factory such as transport drivers are usually excluded from entering the production area.

Visitor registration

Regardless of the good practices employed by a company, its reputation may be compromised by malpractice and the ignorance of visitors.

You must be fully aware of all visitors to the factory, their purpose for visiting the factory, and their movements within the factory. The method of recording such information is a visitor’s register that will not only provide this information but will also instruct the visitor what your company requirements are and how they are to be met. They must confirm that they have fully understood the instructions and will comply with their obligations.

Visitors should always be greeted by an appropriate staff member who understands the importance of completing the register and can instruct the visitors on their obligations to meet the company’s hygiene practices.