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Employee Health
- A Risk-Based
Approach
The approach to employee health requirements in the FDA Food Code
translates
levels of risk into a
tiered system to protect public health. This approach removes infected food workers when they are most likely to transmit a pathogen to food
and provides guidance on safely allowing employees to return to duties.
All listed Food Code pathogens are highly infectious and the health risk directly increases as infected individuals shed more bacteria.
Additionally, as the infected person works in closer proximity to food and as the population demographic becomes more susceptible the health risk
increases. Therefore, the requirement to exclude a food worker from the food facility, rather than merely restrict their activities to
non-food duties, is based on their active symptoms and/or their diagnosis with an illness of concern plus the type of population (general or highly
susceptible) the facility serves.
This risk-based approach excludes food employees who are the most likely to transmit food borne illness. Employees who have active
gastrointestinal symptoms or who are diagnosed with Typhoid Fever or Hepatitis A must be excluded from all food establishments. Those who have
been diagnosed with another listed pathogen (Norovirus, Shigella spp., or E. coli) but gastrointestinal symptoms have resolved or
never developed,
should be restricted to performing only non-food contact duties in establishments such as supermarkets, which serve a general population. If
other listed symptoms of concern are present, restriction should be practiced also.
For detailed information on employee health, see reporting requirements and exclusion and restriction guidelines in the following sections in Chapter
2 of the Food Code:
==>2-201.11 - Responsibility of the Food Employee & Manager & Reporting Requirements
==>2-201.12 - Exclusion and Restriction Guidelines
==>2-201.13 - Removal from Exclusion and Restriction
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MAKE
CLEANING SAFE AND SIMPLE
FIVE STEPS TO CLEAN AND SANITIZED
What
is so important about using the five-step process for cleaning and
sanitizing
food-contact utensils and equipment? It is scientifically designed to
remove soil and kill germs that can cause illness. Always follow the
steps in the correct order and use the appropriate detergent and
sanitizer.
Step 1: Pre-flush or pre-scrape. This removes gross food particles and helps keep the wash water clean.
Step 2: Wash. In the first sink compartment, washing with warm water and detergent removes visible dirt and soil. Use the
bucket-and-brush method for equipment that is too large for the sink.
Step 3: Rinse. This removes the soap film and remaining food particles. Fill the second sink compartment with clean, warm potable
water. Rinsing is sometimes best done with a sprayer.
Step 4: Sanitize. This is the step that actually
kills the bacteria. Use an approved chemical sanitizer (like
Chemstar's Q-San)
or
hot water at the approved temperature in the third sink compartment.
Always measure the concentration of sanitizer using appropriate
chemical
test strips and follow the manufacturer's instructions.
Step 5: Air dry. Then store utensils in a clean, dry location. "Wet-nesting" may allow germs and mold to grow. Never use cloth
towels for drying dishes as they can spread germs.
For more information on Chemstar products for cleaning and sanitizing,
call the Sanitation Hotline 1-800-327-0777 or visit the website at www.chemstarcorp.com.
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DO IT
RIGHT!
REDUCING HYGIENE RISK FACTORS
As a supermarket manager or supervisor, what is your strategy to
minimize risk factors in your store or department? How can you engage
and
encourage your employees toward the personal hygiene behaviors that can
elevate your supermarket to a model of food safety?
Last year the U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) conducted a
forum on reducing risk factors at the retail and food-service levels.
About
30 food industry experts participated as well as representatives from
county health departments. This group came up with several strategies
that seemed to be themes across the country:
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Offer positive reinforcement. Complement associates when you see them doing the right thing.
- Model the behavior. Let employees see the boss
washing his/her own hands when entering the kitchen or before leaving the rest room.
- Repeat the message. Keep up the training, use
appropriate signs, and remind employees frequently of the situations when hand washing is needed.
- Make it fun. Hand washing contests, singing "Happy
Birthday" twice, and other activities can make a mundane procedure enjoyable.
- Make it personal.
Relate the behavior to something
in their home or personal life. Remind workers that if they wash their
hands, they are going to help keep themselves, their children or other
family members healthier.
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Did
You
Know?
Norovirus is reported as the single most common cause
of gastroenteritis in the western world. Although it can be
transmitted
through airborne inhalation of droplets, the fecal-oral route is
primarily responsible for causing foodborne outbreaks. Hands play a
significant role
in Norovirus transmission through contamination of ready-to-eat food
items.
For more information
Visit us online at
www.chemstarcorp.com
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| 120 Interstate West Parkway | Suite 100 | Lithia Springs, GA 30122 |
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