Notes on Use Hygienic Practices for Food Safety

Resource Description

Hygiene Work Practices
The importance of hygiene work practices
Hygiene refers to the cleanliness of an organisation, including individuals within the
organisation to prevent disease and protect people’s health.
The consequence of poor hygiene work practices are:-

Hygiene work practices and their purposes
• Personal Hygiene: Personal hygiene from all members of staff is the first step in
ensuring high standards of hygiene is any hospitality establishment. Clean hair, nails,
teeth and clothing are essential when working in food preparation and service. Other
measures could include wearing minimal jewellery, minimal make-up, working with
hair tied back and/or covered, and ensuring facial hair is neatly trimmed and clean.
• Food Preparation & Storage: Preparing and storing food in a clean and sanitary
environment is the next step in ensuring hygiene work practices. This includes
ensuring workspaces and equipment are clean and sainted before, during and after
working with food, ensuring waste is disposed of correctly, and garbage bins are
emptied and sainted on a regular basis. Food storage principles such as First In, First
Out (FIFO) should be applied. Storing food at the correct temperature is always
essential as is being aware of the temperature Danger Zone of between 5 degrees
and 60 degrees Celsius.
• ‘Ready to Eat’ Food Items: These are pre-prepared and ready for immediate
consumption by customers. They can be sold, hot, cold, at room temperate or as shelf
stable products. These care commonly found in supermarkets and delicatessens.
Examples include sandwiches, soups, salads, pasta and pies. These foods are high
risk for containing food poisoning bacteria and must be stored and handled correctly.
• Service of Food & Beverages: Staff involved in preparing food are not only the ones
who need to be practicing high levels of personal hygiene. Service staff regularly
Customer Worker Workplace
* Food poisoning
* Illness
* Distress
* Allergic reactions
* Death in severe cases

* Loss of jobs
* Low staff morale
* Higher staff absenteeism
* Increased staff turnover
* Staff warnings may be issued if
staff don’t follow correct
procedures
* Staff may be fired

* Business shut down
* Litigation
* Loss of goodwill
* Loss of revenue
* Wasted time
* Increased wastage
* Increased costs
* Named and shamed.

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Saturday, 25 June 2016
come into contact with food and should be aware of appropriate hygienic work
practices. All food service staff must ensure they wash their hands regularly, minimise
their contact with crockery, cutlery and glassware when serving food and adhere to
strict personal hygiene standards. Tables, waiters’ stations and service areas should
be cleaned and sanitised regularly.
• Linen: Many restaurants now use very little linen in their dining rooms, referring to use
the single use disposable items. However, hotels use linen such as towels, uniforms,
tablecloths, bed linen, robes, and so on, and all these items have the potential to be
contaminated with a range of bacteria and other waste that can cause the spread of
illnesses. Linen should be handled carefully, particularly when used or soiled with
blood and bodily fluids. These items should be placed in a plastic bags and sent for
laundering.
• Cleaning and Sanitising: These are the concepts and tasks are an essential part of
any hygiene workspace. Cleaning is the removal of dirt and debris fro utensils,
equipment and surfaces. Sanitising is the use of a chemical substance to kill bacteria.
• Waste Disposal: The way in which waste is disposed of will vary between
establishments and departments. All waste should be removed from work areas
regularly, particularly in areas where food is being prepared. When emptying bins,
staff should wear gloves, dispose of the waste in large dumpsters or outside garbage
bins, wash and sanitise the receptacle and re-line the bin. Establishments should
propose environmentally friendly waste disposal practices such as recycling and
composting.
• Pest Control: Pests and vermin are a regular part of our daily lives. It is very hard to
prevent pests from entering a food preparation area. Steps can be taken to minimise
or remove the threat. Regular cleaning and removal of food scraps and debris from
work surfaces is essential, as is cleaning of food storage areas. Shelving is easy to
access for cleaning and be impervious to pest infestations. Sweeping floors and
vacuuming dining rooms will remove food scraps from floors and help in deterring
pests.
Hand washing
Hand washing is the most basic principle of hygiene work practices. Hands should be
washed thoroughly throughout the day. Hands should be washed after working with raw
foods, touching unwashed foods, eating and drinking, going to the toilet, coughing or
sneezing, touching the hair, eyes, ears, mouth or nose, and after smoking, touching the
floor, emptying and cleaning bins and handling chemicals.