What do you need to know?
• Food can become unsafe and unsuitable if contaminated by sick people or dirty clothing.
• Harmful bugs can be transferred to food through a sick person’s faeces, vomit and other body fluids (e.g. blood, snot).
• Wearing clean clothes (including aprons etc.) helps to keep bugs out of the food, equipment and food preparation areas.
• Dirty clothing can contaminate food, surfaces and equipment.
• If sick staff contaminate food, you might have to recall it. See ‘Recalling your food’.
What do you need to do?
Manage sick staff
• Any staff or visitors (including contractors) who have vomited or had diarrhoea in the 48 hours before entering the food premises must tell the: (tick as appropriate)
day-to-day manager, or
delegated person
Name: ___________________________
• Food handlers who have vomited or had diarrhoea in the 48 hours before entering the food premises, or on the food premises, must tell the day-to-day manager, or
delegated person (tick as appropriate)
Name: ___________________________
immediately and seek medical advice if it has happened 2 or more times.
• Staff must stay away from the food processing area until they are well, if they have an illness they can pass on.
• Sick staff may be able to complete tasks that do not come into direct contact with food or food preparation areas.
Wear clean clothing
• Clean clothing (e.g. apron etc.) must be worn before handling food or entering food preparation areas (this applies to contractors and visitors too).
• You must make sure of one of the following, either: (tick as appropriate)
staff wear their own clean clothing, or
I provide clean clothing for staff.
• Remove outer protective clothing (e.g. aprons etc.) before leaving the food preparation area (e.g. to go to the toilet, outside etc.)
What do you need to show?
• Your verifier may ask you to explain how you manage sick staff.
• Show your verifier:
◦◦ a written record of when staff were sick,
◦◦ that everyone who handles food puts on clean
clothing/aprons at the start of (as required during)
each shift,
◦◦ how you make sure clothing is clean.
• Your verifier may also ask you questions about your rules around clean clothing or any issues you have had with your rules.
