Hand hygiene
Contaminated hands are a major factor in foodborne diseases. The CDC estimates that up to 40% of cases may be linked to poor hand hygiene. Hands can carry and transmit dangerous pathogens such as norovirus, they also pick up transient organisms such Salmonella from the gut after using the toilet.
During food preparation hands touch a variety of surfaces, food and equipment that may themselves be contaminated, and this can be a major factor in cross-contamination.
- Introduce a hand hygiene cleaning regime with training for all staff on how to wash their hands correctly
- Develop a glove policy and provide training on standard operating procedures to educate staff on their use
- Implement effective monitoring solutions to ensure handwash compliance
- Provide sufficient handwashing facilities such as soap dispensers in the right locations to minimise the risk of cross contamination
- Provide the right hand drying facilities such as paper towels or hand dryers to help minimise the spread of bacteria