Personal Hygiene is Critical for Food Safety Programs

Image Credit: Rochester Midland Corp.[/caption]

Requirements for food plant equipment and environmental surfaces are the same for washrooms. The washroom’s toilets, latrines, floors, covings, ceilings, and drains must be non-porous with waterproof surfaces and sloped floors. Proper hygienic design enables sanitation employees to control both bacterial and viral pathogens. Furthermore, all sinks, toilets, and latrines should be hands-free, which include soap and sanitizer dispensers. The hand sanitizer dispensers, both in washrooms and in the plant, can be actuated by either a foot pedal or an arm bar. If there are doorways, hands-free swing doors are strongly recommended for all food plant restrooms to avoid another cross-contamination vector. Same rules apply for all handwash stations in the plant—be it a central entrance sink station or satellite handwash sinks.

AutoMyst 2 Touchless Hand Sanitizer Dispenser.

Image Credit: Best Sanitizers Inc.

Both bare hand sanitizer as well as sanitizer applied to gloved hands should be accessible in a facility. The hand sanitizer and its dispenser need to be adjacent to the hand sink in the washroom or on the processing floor. Meanwhile, the glove sanitizer must be rated as a food contact surface sanitizer, preferably a QAC-alcohol blend. These dispensers for glove and equipment use must be accessible to the production areas where gloves are mandated and critical in terms of food handling.

Like all PRPs, the proper utilization and training of personal hygiene is an ongoing and evolving process. Its critical role in your food safety program must never be compromised or minimized.

Giambrone is the vice president of technical services for Food Safety Division at Rochester Midland Corp. Reach him at [email protected].