Page 24 - Comprehensive Food Safety

31.03.2020

HAND HYGIENE

One of the most common ways bugs get into food is from people – mostly from their hands.
Washing your hands helps to keep bugs out of the kitchen. Regular hand washing helps
prevent contamination of your food. Everyone (including visitors) must follow good hand
hygiene practices by washing and drying their hands as follows:

• Wash your hands in soapy water for 20 seconds then dry thoroughly using paper towels,
single use cloths, or an air dryer.

• Always have soap and paper towels, single-use cloths or an air dryer by the
handwashing sink.
• You must keep your handwashing area clean.
• You must wash your hands:
o when entering the kitchen,
o before handling food,

o after coughing or sneezing,
o after using the toilet,
o after using your phone,
o after taking out rubbish,
o after touching something you think is dirty.

Using gloves:

Gloves do not protect food from cross-contamination. Gloves, just like hands, can transfer bugs
from raw food, equipment, utensils and surfaces to ready-to-eat food. Change gloves
frequently and between tasks (eg after handling uncooked food and before handling ready-to-
eat foods etc). Hands need to be washed when dirty gloves are removed and before clean
gloves are put on.

Gloves are not a substitute for hand washing.

Hand sanitisers:

Hand sanitisers are not effective unless hands are cleaned first.

1 in 4 people have faecal bacteria on their hands

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