Hand washing is enforced and monitored in chilled food production according to the rules described on our poster:

 

The method depicted on this poster was developed through quantitative study and assessment by *Birmingham City Hospital Infection Research Laboratory, UK. 

Posters are available in English to order (and for a limited time as a PDF download), and also in Polish and Portuguese.

Order A4 high resolution posters printed on splashproof** material

Use of Gloves

1. Some food handlers choose to wear gloves because they may not wish to handle a certain food type, e.g. pork.

In this case gloves are managed according to the rules stated on the poster.

2. A glove is just another food contact surface.

Like your hands, gloves also can become dirty and covered with bacteria. They are not a substitute for hand hygiene.

Reference:

Food, Hands & Bacteria William C. Hurst and A. Estes Reynolds, Extension Food Scientists Originally prepared by George A. Schuler and James A. Christian, retired Extension Food Scientists, University of Georgia.

3. Gloves encourage a false sense of security in food handlers and can result in reduced washing frequency, leading to a build-up of contamination on the surface. 

Unwashed hands will feel unpleasant, encouraging more frequent washing.

In one study a few participants said that they washed their hands before and after glove use, but most said that consistent handwashing during glove use was not a common practice. Several participants from both groups said that they found glove use to be a nuisance: “Gloves are difficult to deal with because you have to take them off a lot; they get really dirty.”

Reference:

Food Workers’ Perspectives on Handwashing Behaviors and Barriers in the Restaurant Environment. Aimee S. Pragle, Anna K. Harding, James C. Mack Journal of Environmental Health, June 2007

4. Glove use may lead to less safe hand washing practices unless hand washing regimes are enforced as stated on the poster

References:

Factors Related to Food Worker Hand Hygiene Practices. Green et al, Journal of Food Protection, Vol. 70, No. 3, 2007, Pages 661–666. Lynch, R., M. Phillips, B. Elledge, S. Hanumanthaiah, and D. Boatright.

A preliminary evaluation of the effect of glove use by food handlers in fast food restaurants. J. Food Prot. 68:187–190.

Evaluation of risks related to microbiological contamination of ready-to-eat food by food preparation workers and the effectiveness of interventions to minimize those risks. Guzewich, J., and M. Ross. 1999.

Handwashing and gloving for food protection. Part I: examination of the evidence. Dairy Food Environ. San. 18:814–823. Fendler, E., M. Dolan, and R. Williams. 1998.

Nailbrushes 

Nailbrushes are not used since they can themselves become vehicles for contamination

1. The use of nailbrushes can create aerosols spreading contamination.
2. Nailbrushes are not user-friendly, making it unlikely that they will actually be used
3. To clean around and under the free edge of nails the tips of the fingers are rubbed energetically in a circular motion in the palm of the other hand, and vice versa (fig 8)

References:
‘Handwashing and disinfection’, Ayliffe GAJ, Postgraduate Doctor Middle East, Vol 15, (3), 84-8.

‘Practical guide on rationale and testing procedures for disinfection of hands’, Rotter ML, Ayliffe GAJ, WHO, 1991.

‘Hand disinfection: a comparison of various agents in laboratory and ward studies’, Ayliffe GAJ, Babb JR, Davies JG, Lilly HA, J Hosp Inf, 1988, 11 226-243.

‘A test procedure for evaluating surgical hand disinfection’, Babb JR, Davies JG, Ayliffe GAJ, J Hosp Inf, 1991 (suppl B), 41-9.

* Hospital Infection Research Lab, City Hospital NHS Trust Dudley Rd, Birmingham B18 7QH, UK

** Non-laminatable