Food Safety Is In Our Hands
“handwashing, when done correctly, is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases”.
10 million bacteria would fit very comfortably on something as small as the head of a pin. Given the right conditions, those 10 million bacteria would double every 20 minutes. Unfortunately, these invisible germs are passed around our communities easily with the workplace being the main recipient. Although we are unable to see bacteria, the fact remains our hands are responsible for the spread of an estimated 80% of common infectious diseases.
The vast majority of food related illnesses last a short time and cause minor symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Controlling this problem is difficult because bacteria may survive food processing or foods may become contaminated during preparation, cooking or storage.
While there are many occasions food can become contaminated during processing, 40% of all food-borne illness outbreaks are a direct result of hand cross contamination. This often happens when food workers fail to wash their hands effectively after using the bathroom (microbes from the employees’ gastrointestinal tract are transferred to food). With food being produced and processed at a higher volume than in the past, there is a greater chance of foodborne bacteria being spread to a large number of people.
Reducing the Risk of Foodborne Illness
Personal hygiene, hand washing, employee illness awareness and training are key factors in limiting the transfer of disease from known sources of contamination. Unwashed hands are considered the most significant pathway to pathogen transfer and food safety experts advise hand washing procedures should be implemented and strictly monitored.
Proper hand hygiene requires three components: 1) a proper protocol, 2) an appropriate hand washing or cleansing agent, and 3) compliance (execution at frequent enough interval to prevent infection).
Hand washing, when done correctly, is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Good hand washing technique is easy to learn and can significantly reduce the spread of infectious diseases. High risk areas such as food preparation require the highest level of compliance.
Common sense indicates that hands should be washed before handling food, but there are many other occasions when hands must be washed when working in a food-processing environment.
In many cases, food workers have specific symptoms of a communicable disease, but continue to work with exposed food. In fact, 30 to 50% of all persons, even healthy ones carry the bacteria staphylococcus aureus, usually on the skin or in the mouth. Most of the time these bacteria do not harm, however, a break in the skin, burn, or other injury may allow the bacteria to penetrate the body’s defenses and cause infection.
http://info.debgroup.com/blog/bid/349226/Food-Safety-Is-In-Our-Hands
“handwashing, when done correctly, is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases”.
10 million bacteria would fit very comfortably on something as small as the head of a pin. Given the right conditions, those 10 million bacteria would double every 20 minutes. Unfortunately, these invisible germs are passed around our communities easily with the workplace being the main recipient. Although we are unable to see bacteria, the fact remains our hands are responsible for the spread of an estimated 80% of common infectious diseases.
The vast majority of food related illnesses last a short time and cause minor symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Controlling this problem is difficult because bacteria may survive food processing or foods may become contaminated during preparation, cooking or storage.
While there are many occasions food can become contaminated during processing, 40% of all food-borne illness outbreaks are a direct result of hand cross contamination. This often happens when food workers fail to wash their hands effectively after using the bathroom (microbes from the employees’ gastrointestinal tract are transferred to food). With food being produced and processed at a higher volume than in the past, there is a greater chance of foodborne bacteria being spread to a large number of people.
Reducing the Risk of Foodborne Illness
Personal hygiene, hand washing, employee illness awareness and training are key factors in limiting the transfer of disease from known sources of contamination. Unwashed hands are considered the most significant pathway to pathogen transfer and food safety experts advise hand washing procedures should be implemented and strictly monitored.
Proper hand hygiene requires three components: 1) a proper protocol, 2) an appropriate hand washing or cleansing agent, and 3) compliance (execution at frequent enough interval to prevent infection).
Hand washing, when done correctly, is the single most effective way to prevent the spread of communicable diseases. Good hand washing technique is easy to learn and can significantly reduce the spread of infectious diseases. High risk areas such as food preparation require the highest level of compliance.
- Place your hands together under water (warm (100 degrees F if possible)
- Apply soap
- Rub your hands together for at least 20 seconds
- Wash hands thoroughly, including wrists, palms, back of hands and under the fingernails
- Clean dirt from under the fingernails
- Rinse the soap from your hands
- Dry hands completely with clean toweling (good quality, absorbent paper towel helps to remove germs) or air dry
- If soap and water are not available, use alcohol-based hand sanitizer
Common sense indicates that hands should be washed before handling food, but there are many other occasions when hands must be washed when working in a food-processing environment.
- Immediately before food handling;
- After touching body parts
- After using washrooms
- After coughing, sneezing (into sleeve/crook of elbow and not into hands) or using a tissue
- After changing tasks, especially if switching between working with raw meat and working with ready to eat or cooked foods
- After handling money, garbage or tools/equipment
- After touching dirty surfaces;
- After picking up something from the floor
- After engaging in any activity that contaminates hands
In many cases, food workers have specific symptoms of a communicable disease, but continue to work with exposed food. In fact, 30 to 50% of all persons, even healthy ones carry the bacteria staphylococcus aureus, usually on the skin or in the mouth. Most of the time these bacteria do not harm, however, a break in the skin, burn, or other injury may allow the bacteria to penetrate the body’s defenses and cause infection.
http://info.debgroup.com/blog/bid/349226/Food-Safety-Is-In-Our-Hands