Hand Washing for The Restaurant Industry

​There are particular concerns about hand hygiene for those in the food industry.  Why the obvious is that workers are in contact with everything in a restaurant, and thousands may be affected by dangerous sanitation.

Hand Washing for The Restaurant Industry
By Pierre Mouchette | Bits-n-Pieces

There are particular concerns about hand hygiene for those in the food industry.  The obvious reason is that workers are in contact with everything in a restaurant.  Examples of this are:

• Cooks - handle food continuously.  They handle tools (pots, pans, utensils) to prep and cook food and the plates and bowls in which the food is served.
• Servers - handle the plates and bowls for delivery to the consumer.  They also set-up the table with utensils, glasses, and cups.
• Cleaners - handle all cleaning, including washing pots, pans, dishes, utensils, etc., and change and set tables. 

Yes, there are many people touching everything that is and around a restaurant.  But a restaurant is unique because thousands of people may be affected by inadequate sanitation.  Any contamination can make many people sick and even kill a person with a weakened immune system.  Even if no one gets seriously ill, the perception of an unclean kitchen or eating environment can negatively impact the establishment's reputation or result in health code violations that shut the business down.
Regulations for cleaning vary from state to state, and even local governments have food requirements, so it is essential to check with and comply with these authorities.
 
Liberally Use Soap - the best soap is mild (prevents chapping), in liquid form without special ingredients, so it may be dispensed from a pump (sanitary).  If the restaurant workers wash their hands as they should, the odds are good that their hands will get rough and dry.  This can cause itchiness, open sores, or cracks, making them think about washing hands less frequently, less thoroughly, or skipping the soap.  There are several ways to help prevent cracking and chapping:

• Use warm water, not hot for hand washing.
• When drying hands, pat rather than scrub them.
• Wear food-prep gloves at work. 
  • Wash hands before putting gloves on.
  • Change gloves often to help keep germs from multiplying on the gloves and spreading, especially when changing tasks.
  • Change gloves every time you sneeze or cough.

Note:  You must still wash your hands frequently, but the gloves will help keep the moisture from leaving your hands between washes:

• When your shift is over, apply thick hand lotion often.
• Wear gloves in cold weather.

 
Can Hand Sanitizers Be Used?
Although hand sanitizers are convenient and appropriate in certain situations, they are not acceptable for use in food prep settings.  The reasons for this are:

• When preparing food, anything that is on your hands is going to get into the food, and anything on or in the food will get on your hands.  If you use a hand sanitizer, residue will stay on your skin, and this residue could contain rubbing alcohol, moisturizers, perfumes, and other ingredients that were never meant to be a part of the food and that could make people sick if they were to eat it.
• Fat and protein from meat and fish will cling to your hands.  Germs thrive in nutrient-rich environments full of sugars, fats, and proteins, and no hand sanitizer will remove that residue from your hands.  Only hand washing will be able to get your hands thoroughly clean.
• Hand sanitizers are good at rubbing out germs that pass colds and flu around (when people sneeze or cough on their hands and then touch another person), but the kinds of germs that make people sick in restaurants are the type that thrives in fatty, sugary environments.  The fecal-to-oral route usually transmits them, and hand washing is still the preferred way to eliminate this brand of germ.