Worker Health, Hygiene, and Personal Practices. Please pass the apple from the back of the room to the front

Transcription

1 Worker Health, Hygiene, and Personal Practices Please pass the apple from the back of the room to the front Penn State Farm Food Safety Workshop 2011

2 Would you eat the apple we just passed around? How do know for sure that the people who touched it washed their hands after using the restroom today? How can you know if produce harvesters and handlers follow good hygienic practices?

3 Sources of Microbes From respiratory tract through coughing, sneezing, spitting, or touching the mouth From open sores, cuts, or boils From intestinal tract through hands soiled with feces

4 Health and Hygiene Most cases of food borne illness can be traced to lapses in personal hygiene. It is the most important part of a food safety program but often the most difficult to implement. Proper hand washing is the most important way to prevent transfer of harmful microbes to food.

5 Provide adequate toilet facilities (permanent or field facilities) 1 toilet facility and 1 hand washing station for every 20 employees Must be within ¼ -mile walk from field or closest vehicular access if necessary. Dispose of wastes in portable units carefully to prevent spillage.

6 Toilet facility requirements Keep them clean to encourage use! Make sure your service company does a good job in cleaning and re-stocking. If heavily used they may need to be checked between service company visits. Keep cleaning and maintenance records couver.bc.ca/fire/glo ssary/terms/honeyw agon.htm

7 Provide hand washing stations Simple but adequate handwashing stations

8 Hand washing station requirements Clean and sanitary Clean running water Hand soap Disposable hand towels Trash container A handwashing sign Inspect regularly Toilet and handwashing standards apply to facilities inside the home if they are used by harvesters and handlers

9 Post hand washing signs Signs should be in language(s) that all employees can read

10 Toilet facility examples Courtesy Wes Kline Rutgers Cooperative Extension

11 Toilet facility examples Courtesy Wes Kline Rutgers Cooperative Extension

12 Toilet facility examples Courtesy Wes Kline Rutgers Cooperative Extension

13 Hand washing station examples

14 Hand washing station examples Courtesy Wes Kline Rutgers Cooperative Extension

15 What about hand sanitizers? They are NOT a substitute for hand washing Not very effective on soiled hands If you supply them, encourage their use AFTER hands are washed Courtesy Wes Kline Rutgers Cooperative Extension

16 What about gloves? Some growers require them as an extra barrier against contamination If you require them, use them correctly! Wash hands before putting them on. Replace them if they become contaminated. Change them at least every 4 hours or they become torn or punctured.

17 Training harvesters and handlers is critical to food safety Basic personal hygiene When on how to wash hands Practices that can spread contaminants to produce Food Safety Field Training Kit for Fresh Produce harvesters Training and reinforcement is easy Monitoring and enforcement to change behaviors is much more difficult!

18 Train workers when to wash their hands 1. Before starting work 2. After breaks and lunch 3. After handling animals 4. After using pesticides 5. After using the bathroom

19 Train and reinforce good hand washing behaviors 1. Wet your hands thoroughly with clean, running, warm water. 2. Apply enough soap to build a good lather.

20 Train and reinforce good hand washing behaviors 3. Scrub hands vigorously for at least 10 to 15 seconds. 4. Rinse thoroughly to remove all traces of soap. 5. Dry hands using a disposable paper towel.

21 Train and reinforce proper use of toilet facilities

22 Train and reinforce proper use of toilet facilities

23 Infectious diseases Train workers to report signs and symptoms of infectious disease to their supervisors Diarrhea Yellowing of the eyes Open sores Infected wounds

24 Blood and other bodily fluid contamination Train workers to report any bodily fluid contamination and to dispose of the product correctly Tell them how to cough or sneeze to keep saliva off produce

25 Personal practices Workers who harvest or handle produce should be reasonably clean Short fingernails prevent damage to produce Jewelry should be removed or protected Minimize perspiration exposure by covering head and arms

26 Break areas Train workers to know where they can take breaks to eat, drink, or use tobacco Train them to wash their hands after breaks

27 Drinking water supplies Train workers on policies for drinking water Bottled water in the fields is acceptable, if the bottles are plastic, unbreakable containers that can be capped.

28 Train workers to understand that they should not walk into contaminated areas unless authorized Train them when to wash their hands, change clothes, or change shoes Foot traffic

29 Health, Hygiene, and Personal Practices Training Resources Penn State GAP Web site Your course instructors Food Safety Field Training Kit

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