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There’s no better time than the start of a new year to focus on improving your health and the health of others.
Implementing proper handwashing practices in your establishment not only leads to better health for food employees, but also directly affects the health of your patrons.
The NC Food Code Manual addresses hand hygiene requirements such as when, where and how food employees are to wash their hands, fingernail maintenance, and how to properly use single-use gloves during food preparation.
WHEN TO WASH (Section 2-301.14)
Food employees are required to wash their hands and exposed portions of their arms at the following times:
Immediately before:
- Preparing food or working with exposed food.
- Putting on disposable gloves to work with food.
- Switching between working with raw food and working with ready-to-eat food.
- Handling clean equipment and utensils.
- Beginning a new task.
- Handling unwrapped, disposable eating and drinking utensils.
Immediately after:
- Using the toilet room.
- Touching your hair, skin or mouth.
- Coughing, sneezing, using a tissue.
- Eating, drinking, tobacco use.
- Handling soiled utensils or equipment.
- Caring for or handling service animals or aquatic animals.
- Any activity that has caused hands to become contaminated (e.g., using a cellphone).
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WHERE TO WASH (Sections 2-301.12; 2-301.15; 5-204.11; 5-205.11; 6-301.11; 6-301.12)
- Food employees must wash their hands in designated handwashing sinks that are conveniently located in food preparation, food dispensing, and warewashing areas.
- Handwashing sinks must be supplied with at least 100°F water, hand cleanser and a hand drying device.
- Food preparation sinks, three-compartment sinks, and service sinks cannot be used for handwashing.
HOW TO WASH (Section 2-301.12)
Proper handwashing practices effectively reduce the number of germs on the hands.
This step-by-step handwashing procedure should be consistently used by all food employees:
- Rinse hands under clean, running warm water
- Apply hand cleanser and lather all areas of the hands and forearms, including fingernails, for at least 10-15 seconds
- Thoroughly rinse under clean, running warm water
- Thoroughly dry hands with a disposable towel or hand drying device
- Use a paper towel or similar barrier to turn off faucet handles and to avoid touching restroom door handle
FINGERNAILS (Section 2-302.11)
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Fingernails must be kept trimmed and filed so the edges and surfaces can be easily cleaned.
If fingernail polish or artificial nails are worn, disposable, intact gloves must be worn when working with exposed food.
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JEWELRY (Section 2-303.11)
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Jewelry cannot be worn on food employees’ hands or arms while preparing food. This includes medical information jewelry; however, a plain band such as a wedding band may be worn.
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SINGLE-USE GLOVES (Sections 3-304.15; 3-301.11)
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When used, single-use gloves must be:
- Worn for only one task, such as working with ready-to-eat foods and used for no other purpose.
- Discarded when they become soiled, damaged or when food preparation has been interrupted (e.g., interruption of food preparation to retrieve food from walk-in cooler).
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Proper handwashing reduces the number of germs on the hands, but does not remove all of them.
This is the reason why bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat food is not allowed. Food employees must be trained to use utensils such as single-use gloves to prevent bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.
The purpose of wearing gloves is to protect the food, not your hands.
Single-use gloves should only be worn when handling or preparing food and not when sweeping, taking out the trash, handling money, etc.
Union County Environmental Health will offer the Certified Food Protection Manager course on Thursday and Friday, March 16-17, 2023. The class will be held at the Human Services building at 2330 Concord Ave., Monroe.
Registration information will be emailed soon.
Questions? Contact Stacy Hatley at stacy.hatley@unioncountync.gov
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