Food Handler Health and Hygiene Obligations

Under the Food Standards Code (Standard 3.2.2), a food handler in Australia generally must tell their supervisor if they have symptoms of a foodborne illness — such as vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or jaundice — and must not handle food where they could contaminate it. Businesses usually must exclude sick handlers from working with ready-to-eat food, keep cuts covered so they cannot contaminate food, and follow personal hygiene rules. Exact exclusion periods vary by jurisdiction, so confirm with your state or territory health department. Key takeaways: Food handlers generally must report symptoms of a foodborne illness (vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, sore throat with fever, jaundice, or discharges from the ear, nose or eye) to their supervisor before or as soon as they start work.. A handler who is sick, or a known carrier of a foodborne disease, must not handle food where there is a reasonable likelihood of contaminating it — this usually means being excluded from working with ready-to-eat food.. Cuts, wounds and sores on exposed skin must be covered with a dressing that will not contaminate food; best practice is a waterproof, brightly coloured bandage, plus a single-use glove over any dressing on the hands.. Guidance from most Australian health departments is to stay away from food handling until at least 48 hours after diarrhoea or vomiting has fully stopped, but specific periods vary by jurisdiction — confirm with your state or territory health department.. The business (through the person in charge or Food Safety Supervisor) shares the duty: it must not let a sick handler contaminate food and should have a written illness-reporting and exclusion procedure.. Illness and injury: what to do: Situation, Action. Vomiting or diarrhoea — Report and stay away from food until at least 48 hours after symptoms fully stop. Fever, jaundice, or discharge from ear, nose or eye — Report to your supervisor; the person in charge decides on exclusion. Known carrier of a foodborne disease — Report even without current symptoms. Cut, wound or sore — Cover with a waterproof, brightly coloured dressing; glove over hand dressings. What the law requires of food handlers The core health and hygiene duties sit in Standard 3.2.2 (Food Safety Practices and General Requirements) of the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code, which applies to food businesses across Australia. It places obligations on both the individual food handler and the food business. A 'food handler' is anyone who directly engages in the handling of food, or who handles surfaces likely to come into contact with food, such as cutlery, plates and utensils. In broad terms, a food handler must take all practicable measures to avoid contaminating food, must report relevant illness, and must maintain a high standard of personal cleanliness. The business must supervise handlers, provide the facilities and information they need to comply, and must not permit a handler to do anything that is likely to make food unsafe or unsuitable. These are shared duties — an inspector will look at both the handler's behaviour and the systems the business has put in place. The Code is applied and enforced by state, territory and local authorities, and some detail can vary by jurisdiction, so confirm the specifics with your local council or state food regulator. Applies to anyone handling food or food-contact surfaces, including casuals and volunteers.. Duties fall on both the individual handler and the business.. Standard 3.2.2 sets the baseline; enforcement is by councils and state or territory regulators.. Reporting illness: what and when to report A food handler who knows or suspects they may have a foodborne illness — or who has symptoms that could indicate one — generally must report this to their supervisor before handling food. The point is to let the person in charge decide whether the handler should be excluded or reassigned before any food is put at risk. The symptoms that trigger reporting are the classic signs of gastrointestinal and infectious illness. If a handler develops these during a shift, they should stop handling food and tell their supervisor immediately rather than waiting until the end of the day. Handlers who are carriers of a foodborne disease (for example, someone recovering from a Salmonella infection who may still shed the organism) also have a duty to report, even if they currently feel well. Note that a discharge from the ear, nose or eye — for instance from a cold, flu or eye infection — is also treated as a reportable condition. Vomiting. Diarrhoea. Fever. Sore throat with fever. Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes). Discharges from the ears, eyes or nose. Being a known carrier of a foodborne disease, even without current symptoms. Exclusion: when a sick handler must not work with food Reporting is only the first step — the more important duty is not handling food where there is a reasonable likelihood of contaminating it. In practice, a handler with active symptoms of a foodborne illness should generally be excluded from any work involving ready-to-eat food (food that will not be cooked again before serving, such as salads, sandwiches, sushi and garnishes). The person in charge decides the response. Options usually include sending the handler home, or — if the condition is clearly not infectious, such as a wound that can be fully covered — reassigning them to duties away from open food. Most Australian health departments advise that anyone who has had vomiting or diarrhoea should not handle food until at least 48 hours after their symptoms have fully stopped. For confirmed illnesses such as Salmonella, hepatitis A, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli or norovirus, longer exclusion periods and medical clearance may apply. These exclusion periods are set and enforced at state and territory level and can differ, so check with your state or territory health department. Active gastro symptoms usually mean exclusion from ready-to-eat food work.. General guide: stay away until at least 48 hours symptom-free after vomiting or diarrhoea.. Confirmed notifiable illnesses may need medical clearance before return.. The person in charge, not the handler alone, is responsible for the exclusion decision.. Cuts, wounds, sores and bandages Skin breaks are a direct contamination route because they can harbour Staphylococcus aureus and other bacteria. Standard 3.2.2 requires handlers to take all practicable measures to ensure any exposed cut, wound, sore, boil or skin lesion is covered so that it will not contaminate food. Best practice, and what inspectors expect to see, is a waterproof dressing that stays firmly in place. Many kitchens use brightly coloured (often blue) bandages so that if one falls off it is easily spotted in food. Where the wound is on the hand or wrist, cover the dressing with a single-use glove and change the glove regularly. Gloves are not a substitute for handwashing — hands must still be washed before gloving up and whenever gloves are changed. A wound that cannot be reliably covered, or that is weeping or infected, generally means the handler should be kept away from open food until it heals. Cover all cuts and sores with a clean dressing that will not contaminate food — a waterproof dressing is best practice.. Use brightly coloured bandages so a dislodged one is easy to find.. Cover hand dressings with a single-use glove and change it regularly.. Wash hands before applying gloves — gloves never replace handwashing.. Keep handlers with weeping or uncoverable wounds away from open food.. Everyday personal hygiene duties Beyond illness and wounds, Standard 3.2.2 sets out day-to-day hygiene behaviours every handler must follow to avoid contaminating food. These are the practices inspectors observe most often on a walk-through, and they are the easiest to get marked down on. Handwashing is the anchor: wash hands thoroughly with warm running water and soap, then dry with a single-use towel or another hygienic means, whenever hands may have become contaminated — after using the toilet, handling raw food, touching your face or hair, coughing, sneezing, smoking, eating, or handling rubbish. Handlers should also wear clean outer clothing, keep hair restrained, and avoid behaviours that spread contamination over open food. Wash and dry hands whenever they may be contaminated, especially after the toilet and handling raw food.. Do not eat over, sneeze, cough, blow or spit near unprotected food.. Wear clean outer clothing and restrain hair.. Do not wear loose jewellery that could fall into food or harbour bacteria.. Keep fingernails short and clean; avoid touching ready-to-eat food with bare hands where practical.. The business's role and building a reporting culture The Code makes the food business responsible for making compliance possible. That means providing accessible handwashing facilities with warm running water, soap and single-use drying, supplying dressings and gloves, and giving handlers the skills and knowledge (or supervision) appropriate to their work. Under Standard 3.2.2A, which commenced on 8 December 2023, many food businesses that handle unpackaged, potentially hazardous, ready-to-eat food (category one and two businesses) must also have a certified Food Safety Supervisor and food handlers with demonstrated food safety skills and knowledge — the FSS is well placed to own the illness-reporting process. Check whether and how 3.2.2A applies to your business with your state or territory regulator, as implementation details vary. The practical challenge is culture. Casual staff often feel pressure to work while sick. A written, no-blame illness-reporting procedure — one that tells handlers exactly who to notify, what symptoms to report, and reassures them they will not be penalised for staying home — removes that pressure and protects the business. Keep a simple record of illness reports and exclusion decisions; it demonstrates due diligence if an outbreak is ever investigated. Provide handwashing facilities, dressings and gloves so handlers can comply.. Standard 3.2.2A adds Food Safety Supervisor and skills-and-knowledge requirements for category one and two businesses.. Write a clear, no-blame illness-reporting and exclusion procedure.. Record illness reports and exclusion decisions as evidence of due diligence.. Worked examples: A handler reports diarrhoea: A kitchenhand tells the chef they had diarrhoea overnight. The chef records the report, recognises it as a reportable symptom, and sends the handler home rather than rostering them onto ready-to-eat food. As a general guide the handler stays away until at least 48 hours after symptoms have fully stopped, and the chef reviews any food already prepared. A cut on the hand: A cook nicks a finger during prep. They clean and cover the cut with a waterproof, brightly coloured dressing, then put a single-use glove over it and change the glove regularly. If the wound were weeping or could not be reliably covered, they would be kept away from open food until it healed. Checklist: Illness-reporting procedure is written down and known to all staff, including casuals.. Handlers know the reportable symptoms: vomiting, diarrhoea, fever, sore throat with fever, jaundice, discharges from the ear, nose or eye.. A supervisor or Food Safety Supervisor is available each shift to receive reports and decide on exclusion.. Handwashing stations are stocked with warm running water, soap and single-use drying.. Waterproof, brightly coloured dressings and single-use gloves are available on site.. Return-to-work rule (generally at least 48 hours symptom-free) is applied consistently and checked against your state or territory health department's advice.. Illness reports and exclusion decisions are recorded.. Staff are told they will not be penalised for staying home when sick.. Common mistakes: Letting staff work through gastro symptoms because the venue is short-staffed — norovirus and Salmonella can spread fast from a single sick handler.. Treating gloves as a substitute for handwashing, or wearing the same gloves across raw and ready-to-eat tasks.. Using plain sticking plasters that are not waterproof or easily visible if they fall into food.. Having no written illness-reporting procedure, so handlers do not know who to tell or what counts as reportable.. Allowing a handler back too soon — returning while still infectious, before the 48-hour symptom-free window or before required medical clearance.. Failing to record illness reports and exclusion decisions, leaving no evidence of due diligence if an outbreak is investigated.. Assuming a recovered handler is safe when they may still be a carrier of a foodborne disease..