Fitness to Work for Food Handlers

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A FOOD HANDLER

YOU CAN PASS ON GERMS WHEN YOU HANDLE FOOD

TO PREVENT THIS YOU MUST:

Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water

• Before starting work and after breaks.

• Before handling food.

• After using the toilet.

• After handling raw food.

• After handling rubbish.

AND

Dry your hands thoroughly after you have washed them. If you have sickness or diarrhoea it may be caused by a germ; you must not handle food until you are better.

Tell Your Boss if you

Have been sick (vomiting).

Have diarrhoea.

Have infected (red, swollen, pus-containing) sores or cuts.

Feel unwell.

Were ill while on holiday.

AND

If anyone in your household is sick or has diarrhoea. Typhoid and paratyphoid fever are rare but serious illnesses. You must tell your boss if you think you have been in contact with either of these diseases.

Your Checklist for Good Hygiene Practice

Wash and dry your hands thoroughly after going to the toilet and before handling food. Do not handle food if you are suffering from diarrhoea and/or vomiting.

• Tell your boss if you or anyone in your household is ill, or if you were ill while on holiday.

• Tell you boss if you have infected cuts or sores.

• Use bright coloured waterproof coverings for cuts and grazes.

• Do not spit, smoke, eat or chew gum when you are handling food.

• Make sure your work clothes are clean.

• Keep your workplace, especially surfaces and utensils, clean.

• If you visit the doctor, remember to say you are a food handler.

For further advice contact the Commercial Team on 023 9254 5507 or email: ehs@gosport.gov.uk.