Monitoring Hygiene

Another idea is to have a laundry facility to ensure that employees are wearing clean uniforms everyday. Some employees may not have the facilities in their own home to wash uniforms everyday. Larger facilities might have a small changing room or locker room available to the employees to change out of worn clothes when a shift is finished so they can leave their dirty uniforms and aprons to be washed. When they return the next day, they will have a clean, fresh uniform or apron waiting for them. Also with large facilities a locker room with showers might be available to ensure that the employee has bathed before working and if not, they can use the facility available at their work location.

Personal hygiene, such as daily showering and wearing clean clothes or a clean uniform, is highly important. Hair restraints should be worn to prevent employees from touching their hair while handling food and to prevent hair from landing in the food. Managers should make sure to always have extra hair restraints in case the employee forgets one or it breaks.

Additional personal hygiene problems involve basic cuts and scrapes. If an employee has a cut or scrape it needs to be cleaned and covered immediately. If the injury is on the hand then a glove needs to be worn as well as a bandage. This is also something that managers should look for while performing grooming inspections.

The results of improper personal hygiene can be severe, not just for the employee, but for the customer as well. For food service establishments to simply have a plan or a program to follow, it can have lifesaving results.

Mike Milliorn is president and CEO of Daydots (Fort Worth, Texas). Reach him at (800) 458-3687.