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This information can be used to develop food safety and quality programs that meet the requirements of modern Regulatory, Customer and Industry Standards:
When considering the development, documentation, and implementation of Personal Hygiene Standards within food safety and quality management systems, the following information should be considered to ensure effective outcomes:
Personal Hygiene Standards are a very important factor in preventing contamination during primary production, food handling, production, and distribution. Every food handler has the potential to introduce micro-organisms into food, taking into account that micro-organisms are all around us, and all over us. People are also quite often the source of food contamination by physical hazards, transporting foreign objects such as hair and jewelry into food.
The objectives of Personal Hygiene Standards are to ensure that those who come directly or indirectly into contact with food are not likely to contaminate food by maintaining an appropriate degree of personal cleanliness and behaving and operating properly. Personnel who have certain illnesses or medical conditions, or those who behave inappropriately can realistically contaminate food and put the consumer at risk.
All food handling staff share the responsibility to ensure that appropriate standards of dress and Personal Hygiene Standards are maintained at all times. All staff in a food manufacturing facility, including those employed on a contractual basis and those who do not directly handle the product such as maintenance and cleaning staff are responsible either directly or indirectly for the safety of the food. Every staff member has the responsibility to ensure that the food that they prepare and handle is safe and suitable for consumption and free from contamination.
A documented Personal Hygiene Standards Policy should be developed and implemented. This policy should also be used as part of the training program when inducting new staff members. The policy may include the following requirements:
Food handlers should maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and, where appropriate, wear suitable protective clothing, head covering, and clean enclosed footwear. Facial hair should be trimmed, fingernails kept short and clean, and hair should be tied back. Cuts and wounds, where personnel are permitted to continue working, should be covered by suitable waterproof dressings.
The use of appropriate uniforms is important to any food business. Uniforms including protective clothing, footwear, and headwear should be provided where applicable to ensure the control of hazards. Best practice for food production relies on uniforms being:
Aprons and overalls should be changed daily or more frequently if deemed unhygienic. They should be removed and hung in a designated area whenever the wearer leaves the food production area, in particular when going to the toilet or for a break.
It is important that the laundering, handling, and storage of uniforms is defined within documented procedures to ensure control over related hazards. This may take the form of ensuring uniform suppliers or service providers are included within the approved supplier program, their laundering chemicals are food industry approved, and that their procedures for laundering are suitable and effective.
There is no specific requirement for staff to use headwear unless they are working for a commercial manufacturer of high-risk products, however, virtually all food manufacturing facilities have internal requirements for personal head coverings. There is a general public perception that headwear should be worn, so it can be advantageous to encourage staff to wear head coverings whilst in the view of the public.
Hair coverings can range from baker-style skull caps to traditional style chef’s white toques, and they also include shower cap-style head coverings and snoods for beard hair. It is important to remember that headwear should be kept in the same hygienic state as with the rest of the uniform. An additional advantage of head covering can be the use of different colored coverings to highlight supervisors and or first aiders.
Foodservice staff are not necessarily required to wear headwear, but they should observe a well-maintained hairstyle. Longer hair should be tied back to exclude excessive length and to keep it away from the face and product.
It is paramount that footwear for food workers also be maintained in a hygienic state. A high hygienic standard for footwear will assist in the maintenance of a clean working environment. Food industry work areas are well known for containing substances that may increase the risk of slippage injuries. It is important to use footwear that is appropriate for the work being undertaken.
Good quality footwear should be:
It most often comes down to managements’ decision as to what varieties are suitable to be worn in particular areas; not only for food safety but for workplace health and safety. Consideration to boot washing facilities or a food bath should be considered by plants processing high risk or high care products.
It is generally not acceptable for jewelry to be worn in food production areas. The exception in many cases is a plain wedding band and medic-alert bracelets. Jewelry such as wristwatches, earrings, bracelets, and body piercings pose a threat not only as a physical hazard, but also have the potential for the harborage of microbial pathogens due to their inability to be hygienically cleaned.
People engaged in food handling activities should refrain from behavior that could result in contamination of food, for example:
Personal effects such as jewelry, coats, bags, and lunches should not be brought into food-handling areas.
Before the commencement of any operation within any food business, prospective employees should undergo a minimum of basic medical screening to ensure they are aware of their obligations under relevant legislation and best practice standards.
Such testing may include a questionnaire, or may also include laboratory testing of samples obtained from an individual. Such analytical testing should include screening for pathogens that are noted within relevant legislation and best practice standards commensurate with the scope of the testing methods used.
A health questionnaire is a common tool used to ascertain the appropriate status of a current or prospective employee, visitor, or contractor entering nominated areas of the site. It is also important to note that visitors and contractors could also potentially contaminate products or processes with carried food pathogens. In this case, it may also be beneficial to ensure all visitors and contractors complete a medical screening questionnaire before entering designated areas of the food business.
Working in the food industry can be a very physical job and often work needs to be carried out at disagreeable temperatures for prolonged lengths of time. At the outset, these things must be considered by the employer and employee. Sick employees and poor hygienic practices rank highly in the causes of foodborne disease outbreaks. People known, or suspected, to be suffering from, or to be a carrier of a disease or illness likely to be transmitted through food, should not be allowed to enter any food handling area if there is a likelihood of their contaminating food. The types of diseases involved should be referenced to any applicable food legislation. Any person so affected should immediately report illness or symptoms of illness to the management. Medical examination of a food handler should be carried out if clinically or epidemiologically indicated.
Conditions that should be reported to management so that any need for medical examination and/or possible exclusion from food handling can be considered include:
Health Regulations prohibit any person who is infected with a disease that can be transmitted by food to work as a food handler as long as the disease is in a communicable stage. It is the responsibility of the employee to inform the business owner or management of such illness. It is the responsibility of the license holder or person in charge to ensure compliance with this requirement and to notify health officials if a disease or outbreak is suspected.
Any food handler who is suffering from foodborne illness or symptoms including diarrhea, vomiting, or infected skin lesions must notify their manager and immediately be excluded from work. Any food handler with enteric fever, with a history of enteric fever caused by Salmonella, who is a contact with a carrier of enteric fever, or who has returned from a region where there has been an outbreak of enteric fever must not be permitted to handle food until a medical practitioner is satisfied that the food handler poses no significant risk to food.
Food handlers with any infected, flaking or discharging lesion on an exposed part of their skin including their face, scalp, neck, hands, or lower arms must not be permitted to handle food in high-risk areas until such lesions are fully healed. Food handlers with clean uninfected lesions may handle food provided that the lesion is well covered by a suitable metal detectable, brightly colored, waterproof medical dressing and glove where the lesion is on their hand. The acceptability of clean uninfected lesions should be verified by a suitable person before the commencement of each shift until fully healed.
The staff of visitors suffering from any variance of gastrointestinal infection including acute vomiting and or diarrhea not associated with another condition such as pregnancy should not be permitted to return to work as a food handler until they are symptom-free for at least 72 hours without anti-diarrhea drugs. Outcomes may be strengthened through interactions with an assessment by a qualified medical practitioner before returning to work.
Where symptoms of foodborne illness such as acute vomiting or diarrhea have been present for less than 72 hours and anti-diarrhea drugs have been taken, the affected member of staff should be referred to a medical practitioner before returning to work.
In the case where foodborne illness has been confirmed, upon advice by a suitable medical practitioner, staff members may be able to participate within other areas of the business where the risk of contamination is negated. Non-food handlers or administrative staff suffering from the symptoms of foodborne illness should not be permitted to use toilet facilities used by other staff members.
People normally carry some bacteria on or in their bodies that can cause food-borne diseases. These are called normal flora and most people do not know they are there. For example, large percentages of any given population are carriers of bacteria that can cause foodborne illness. A simple act of touching the nose or blowing the nose is sufficient to contaminate the hands with disease-causing bacteria.
Transient microorganisms that are found on the body, particularly the hands, are picked up during contact with food, utensils, and other sources that may be contaminated. Hands are an important source of contamination that can contribute to foodborne illness.
Following are some scenarios for foodborne illness resulting from hand to food interaction:
Because hands are so important in the transmission of disease organisms, they must be properly washed and washed often. Effective washing can only be accomplished when jewelry is not worn, fingernails are trimmed and adequate hand-washing facilities are provided and used.
Only designated hand-washing basins must be used for regular and sufficient washing of hands.
The maintenance of specified Water temperatures is of utmost importance for achieving required Food Safety and Quality outcomes. In most water usage scenarios within any Food Business, the temperature of water used for personal hygiene has a direct impact upon the maintenance of suitable microbiological outcomes. Warm potable running hand washing water is generally specified to be provided for use within most food businesses. The focus on the provision of warm water for handwashing not only contributes to higher levels of hygiene but also allows confidence that hand washing is completed to a suitable level of compliance.
Water provided for hand washing should be at a temperature of at least 43 degrees Celsius or 110 degrees Fahrenheit, to 46 degrees Celsius or 115 degrees Fahrenheit, through a mixing valve or combination outlet. A self-closing, slow-closing, or metering outlet should provide a flow of water for at least 30 seconds without the need to reactivate the water outlet.
After all, if hand washing water is too cold, people washing their hands may be less likely to complete the required full hand washing process, particularly for the required timeframe for an effective validated hand washing process.
Substances such as hand washing chemicals used as a component of this process must be suitable for use within the appropriate food industry sector, and must not pose any safety risk to the foods being handled or stored within the food business. Hand washing is generally not effective unless a good lather is built up and all portions of the hands and lower arms are vigorously rubbed for 20 to 30 seconds. Lathering twice, and applying a post-wash, leave-on sanitizer can enhance the positive effects of handwashing.
After washing, hands should be dried thoroughly with single-use disposable paper towels or air is blown dry. Hands should not be dried on a common towel or any towel which can be used repeatedly and by other employees, wiping cloths, aprons, or clothing. Such practices defeat proper handwashing and result in contamination. After drying, an alcohol or chemical hand sanitizer may be applied. Hand sanitizers may not be used solely as a substitute for handwashing. Hand sanitizers and their use raises mixed opinions in the food industry today. Due to the drying nature of them with repeated use, staff hands may become cracked and sore, defeating the purpose of the sanitizer in the first place.
The following list can serve as a guide for when to wash hands, but is not limited to these examples:
The use of gloves within any food business should be defined within procedures to ensure their use does not compromise food safety. It must be considered here that the use of gloves does not exclude the risk of contamination, indeed many food manufacturers are moving away from using gloves for food handlers because of the common and unfounded perception that if gloves are worn then hands are clean.
If gloves are to be worn in a facility, a policy should be developed to include:
Personnel hygiene facilities should be available to ensure that an appropriate degree of personal hygiene can be maintained and to avoid contaminating food. Where appropriate, facilities should include:
Such facilities should be suitably located, designated, and maintained.
Hand washing is essential in preventing the contamination of foodstuffs by pathogenic micro-organisms. Therefore, sufficient, convenient, and adequate handwashing facilities must be provided within any food business where food handling, processing, or packaging occurs.
The number of hand washing facilities can be determined through consideration of the following:
For the most part, the number of hand washing facilities is based on a technical review of proposed plans for new or remodeled food establishments and existing operations coupled with professional judgment as it relates to convenience, accessibility, and suitability. A long-standing operation with insufficient hand washing facilities does not generally constitute a pre-established right for continuance, as the risks arising from a lack of facilities may result in significant public health issues.
Handwashing facilities should be located to be convenient at the entries and within the following areas of the food business:
In long-established food businesses where handwashing facilities are not convenient, additional hand washing facilities should be fitted.
Handwashing facilities should be used for handwashing purposes only. The use of the handwashing facilities for storage purposes, dump sinks, utensils and equipment washing, food preparation, or any other purpose makes the facility inconvenient for handwashing purposes and therefore can contribute to public health risk. Restricting easy access to handwashing facilities by placing equipment, containers, or other items in front of the hand washing facility, even temporarily, constitutes risk based on the in-availability for access.
Handwashing facilities should be adequate for hand washing. Adequacy often relates to the following design requirements:
In addition, handwashing facilities should be provided with a continuous supply of:
Handwashing facilities are also commonly fitted with chemical hand sanitizer solutions to support pathogen reduction on the surfaces of hands.
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Personal Hygiene Standards Development requirements concerning their items.
Document: A document provides guidance and/or direction for performing work, making decisions, or rendering judgments that affect the safety or quality of the products or services that customers receive.
Documented policies, procedures, work instructions, and schedules form the basis of any food safety and quality management system. The following document formats may be considered to ensure ongoing compliance with specified requirements for Personal Hygiene Standards:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Personal Hygiene Standards Documentation requirements concerning their items.
You may wish to visit the Personal Hygiene Standards Templates section of haccp.com for examples of Personal Hygiene Standards documentation, record, and resource formats commonly applied within food safety and quality systems.
Implementation: Implementation is the application of documented food safety and quality system elements into the actual business operation.
The implementation of Personal Hygiene Standards within any food business requires genuine commitment from senior management, staff, and visitors to ensure the nominated goals of implementation are achievable on an ongoing basis. It is a step that requires significant planning and consideration of general and specific food business circumstances to ensure the outcomes of Personal Hygiene Standards do not negatively impact the safety and quality of the food items dispatched from the business.
Implementation of Personal Hygiene Standards must include a clear definition of responsibilities and authorities for all levels of participation by senior management, staff, and visitors to the site.
When implementing Personal Hygiene Standards within food safety and quality system, you may wish to consider the following requirements before completion:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Personal Hygiene Standards Implementation requirements concerning their items.
Monitoring: Monitoring is the act of reviewing and confirming measurable parameters of a defined process or product status.
Monitoring requirements within food industry sectors are generally identified against limits of acceptability defined within HACCP plans, implementation procedures, and work instructions. Monitoring usually includes some element of record-keeping, which may be maintained manually or through digital systems. It is important to consider that advancements in technology have spawned many systems and processes which are self-monitored and or self-adjusted when variances are identified. Regardless of the system used; The goal of any monitoring activity is to provide sufficient evidence that any limit of acceptability has been met.
Traditional Personal Hygiene Standards monitoring requirements include manual recording and the application of corrective actions when the results of monitoring are found to be outside acceptable limits. Corrective Actions should also generally be strongly linked to the monitoring process to ensure full traceability of the applied actions.
Common monitoring activities and record formats may apply to Personal Hygiene Standards:
– Adherence to the Personal Hygiene Standards Policy should be monitored at least daily by shift supervisors and managers. Records of related activities should be maintained to provide evidence of the outcomes.
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Personal Hygiene Standards Monitoring requirements concerning their items.
You may wish to visit the Personal Hygiene Standards Templates section of haccp.com for examples of Personal Hygiene Standards documentation, record, and resource formats commonly applied within food safety and quality systems.
Corrective Action: Corrective action is mandatory action to be taken when a deviation to the Quality System occurs, particularly concerning a Critical Control Point.
Preventative Action: At any step in the process where a hazard has been identified, preventative action must be put into place to prevent re-occurrence.
Corrective Action and Preventative Action is implemented to ensure that any identified non-conformance issues are documented, investigated, and rectified within appropriate time-frames. Corrective action is any action applied to regain control over a product, process, policy, or procedure that has been identified as being non-conforming outside nominated limits of acceptability. Preventative action is any action applied to prevent any identified non-conformance from reoccurring.
The outcomes of corrective and preventative actions should result in regained process control after effective application. Specified corrective actions are commonly linked to the HACCP Plans and the food business certification process.
Below are Corrective Action and Preventative Action examples which may be associated with Personal Hygiene Standards related non-conformance:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Personal Hygiene Standards Corrective Action requirements concerning their items.
You may wish to visit the Corrective Action and Preventative Action section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
Verification: The act of reviewing, inspecting, testing, checking, auditing, or otherwise establishing and documenting whether items, processes, services, or documents conform to specified requirements.
Verification is the detailed review of all food safety and quality system elements to confirm that they are effectively developed, documented, implemented, monitored, and reviewed. All food safety and quality system elements, including documented policies, procedures, training, HACCP plans, and their operational applications must be verified on an ongoing scheduled basis. The verification process commonly includes a defined schedule for which verification activities are required, how often they are conducted, who is responsible, and detailed documented procedures for each nominated verification activity.
The general goal of an established verification process is to ensure any systemic non-conformance issues are identified and rectified within an appropriate time frame. When non-conformance issues are identified through the verification process, Corrective Actions and Preventative Actions should be implemented to ensure they do not impact the effectiveness of the food safety and quality system.
The following examples of verification activities may apply to Personal Hygiene Standards:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Personal Hygiene Standards Verification requirements concerning their items.
You may wish to visit the Verification Activities section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
Validation: The process of gathering evidence to provide a scientific basis for the documented act of demonstrating that a procedure, process, and activity will consistently lead to the expected results. It often includes the qualification of systems and equipment.
Validation is the provision of evidence to support the limits of control or acceptability for food safety or quality parameters nominated within systemic elements. Limits of control or acceptability are commonly included within documented food safety and quality systems elements such as procedures, HACCP plans, and specifications.
Common sources of validation include regulatory and legislative standards, finished product specifications and customer requirements, industry codes of practice and guidelines, verified and validated research, historical product, and process control outcomes, and analytical testing.
The general goal of an established validation process is to ensure any systemic non-conformance issues are identified and rectified within an appropriate time frame. When non-conformance issues are identified through the verification process, Corrective Actions and Preventative Actions should be implemented to ensure they do not impact the effectiveness of the food safety and quality system.
Validation activities are commonly defined within the verification schedules and procedures of established food safety and quality management systems.
The following examples may apply to validation of the limits of control or acceptability for Personal Hygiene Standards:
You may wish to visit the Validation Activities section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
Skills and Knowledge: Skills and knowledge are attributes of human interactions commonly linked to competency within any specified job-related task.
Training and Training and competency requirements for Personal Hygiene Standards must be ongoing, including regularly scheduled reviews to ensure the effectiveness of training and competency outcomes. Once a policy for Personal Hygiene Standards has been developed, it is essential that training is given to all the staff, and that all staff members adhere to the policy, in particular, senior management who must lead by example.
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Personal Hygiene Standards should know including:
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Personal Hygiene Standards should have skills including:
Team members who have defined responsibilities regarding Personal Hygiene Standards should have access to resources including:
If your food business supplies foodstuffs manufactured to a customer’s specifications, it is important to consider any specific Personal Hygiene Standards Training, Competency, and Resources requirements concerning their items.
You may wish to visit the Training, Competency, and Resources section of haccp.com for examples of best practice applications for this food safety and quality system element.
haccp.com was created to support food businesses and food industry professionals in achieving and maintaining the stringent requirements of food industry compliance.