Handwashing for food safety
Did you know?
In 2002 a Food Standards Agency survey of 1000 food handlers revealed that 39 per cent did not wash their hands after visiting the toilet and 53 per cent did not appear to wash their hands before preparing food.
A 2004 MORI poll of 5469 adults revealed that 34 per cent of customers would not re-visit a premises where the waiting staff had dirty hands.
Half of all men and a quarter of women are unlikely to wash their hands after visiting the toilet.
Germs can survive for up to three hours on hands. Wet or damp hands provide an ideal breeding ground for germs. Right handed people are more likely to wash their left hands better than their right – and visa versa.
Handwashing is seen as the simplest disease prevention practice – yet the most neglected.
Beat the bugs
Effective handwashing helps to remove food poisoning bacteria on hands. It
will therefore help reduce the risk of cross contamination. Before anyone
handles food they must wash their hands:
- Before starting work
- After taking a break
- After going to the toilet
- After handling refuse and refuse bins
- Before and after handling food
- After touching their hair, nose and face
- After smoking, eating or drinking
- After applying a plaster or dressing to a wound
In addition, before you handle food ensure that hands have been properly
washed after:
- Handling babies or changing nappies
- Touching pets
- Taking medicines and changing contact lenses
- Handling plants or gardening
- Decorating.
Effective handwashing
Effective handwashing will involve:
- Filling a wash hand basin with warm water
- Using soap and a nailbrush
- Lathering all areas of the hands, fingers, nails and fore arms for at
least 20 to 30 seconds. Remember to cover the backs of hands and fingers, in
between the fingers, tips of fingers and the palms
- Rinsing the skin and nails thoroughly with clean water
- Drying hands, nails and fore arms preferably with a paper towel. If you
have a hot air drier ensure that it heats up quickly and staff have been
trained to use it. Cotton or fabric towels may breed bacteria when damp
Six vital steps:
Six steps to effective handwashing after wetting hands and applying soap are rubbing:
- Palm to palm
- Back of both hands
- Palm to palm with fingers interlaced
- Back of fingers (interlocked)
- All parts of both hands
- And, finally, both palms with finger tips
Things to consider:
Nails should be kept short, rounded and clean
- Food handlers must not wear nail varnish
- Jewellery should not be worn as this may harbour bacteria
- Any cuts or wounds should be covered by a clean waterproof plaster
- Skin conditions such as eczema may pose a contamination risk. Medical
advice must be obtained
- The wash hand basin must not be used for cleaning food or food equipment
- Touching a lavatory seat will double the number of bacteria on your hands
- If you do not dry hands thoroughly after washing then there is a high risk
that bacteria will multiply on your hands and then contaminate food and work
surfaces. In addition to which you run the risk of developing skin
infections.
Gloves
Gloves are no substitute for handwashing.
Disposable gloves are available.
However, these are intended for one use only such as handling raw meat or making
sandwiches.
Before using gloves wash your hands. After a specific job has been
carried out, throw the used gloves away and wash your hands. Use a new pair of
gloves for each new task.
Encouraging handwashing
- Set an example.
- Train staff in handwashing techniques
- Evaluate the effectiveness of handwashing
- Ensure hot water is always available
- Provide accessible wash hand basins and an adequate supply of soap and paper towels
- Ensure that hot air dryers heat up quickly
- Reduce the distance a food handler has to “travel” to wash their hands
- Consider the use of suitable food safe alcohol gels
- Remove the belief that disposable gloves replace the need to wash hands
Useful websites
Websites for further handwashing information:
See:
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