Food Handlers - Fitness to work

Any person working in a food handling area who knows or suspects that he/she is suffering from an illness or medical condition where there is any likelihood of them directly or indirectly contaminating food, eg. infected wounds, skin infections, sores, diarrhoea and /or vomiting, must report this to the proprietor of the food business.

Food handlers have a legal duty to inform the owner of the food business or their manager or supervisor if they know or suspect that they have been suffering from symptoms of food poisoning (diarrhoea, vomiting, feeling sick, or stomach cramps). As a general rule, food handlers with any of the above symptoms should be excluded from food preparation/handling until 48 hours after symptoms cease, or following clearance from their GP. When they return to work they should pay special attention to personal hygiene, particularly hand washing.

Food handlers suffering from typhoid, paratyphoid or E coli 0157 must cease work immediately. Advice should be sought from this Department about follow up faecal sampling and clearance before returning to work.

Food Proprietors

If someone has food poisoning symptoms at work, it is the managements responsibility to ensure that toilets, handles, taps and surfaces are cleaned and disinfected after contact by anyone reporting diarrhoea and/or vomiting. If vomiting has occurred in a food handling area, consideration should be given to disposal of any exposed food . In addition, cleaning and disinfection of all contaminated surfaces, equipment and utensils, should be undertaken in consultation with the Food Safety Team.

It is good practice to:

Have a pre-employment questionnaire to be completed by staff on appointment and on return from foreign travel.
Provide a written statement, which should be brought to the attention of food handling staff, on the control of any infection likely to be transmitted through food. This statement should include the following:-

• Policy for exclusion from work of infected food handlers.
• Person(s) responsible for implementing the policy.
• Arrangements for monitoring any infection in new and existing food handlers and what action may be required.
• Instruction and supervision, as required, to implement the policy.
  

Play Groups & Childminders:

You must also have an exclusion policy for children with vomiting or diarrhoea ; again, they must be free of all symptoms for a minimum of 48 hours before they are allowed to return. When they do return, hand washing needs to be closely supervised and monitored.