The personal cleanliness and health practices food handlers must follow to avoid contaminating food.
The personal cleanliness and health practices food handlers must follow to avoid contaminating food. Personal hygiene covers the way food handlers keep themselves clean and healthy so they do not transfer micro-organisms, dirt or foreign matter to food. Under Standard 3.2.2 of the Australian Food Standards Code, food handlers must take all reasonable measures to prevent their body, anything from their body, or anything they are wearing from contaminating food. This includes clean hands, clean clothing, restraining hair, and not doing things like spitting, smoking or eating over open food. The standard also links personal hygiene to health. A food handler who knows they have, or may have, a foodborne illness (or who is carrying a foodborne pathogen or has symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or a sore throat with fever) must report this to their supervisor and, where there is a real risk of contaminating food, must not handle food. Good personal hygiene is therefore both about routine cleanliness and about managing illness responsibly. In an Australian kitchen or food business this shows up as staff washing hands properly on arrival and at each critical point, wearing clean aprons or uniforms, tying back or covering hair, keeping fingernails short and clean, and covering cuts or wounds with a brightly coloured waterproof dressing (often blue so it is easy to spot if it falls into food). Jewellery is usually kept to a minimum because it can harbour bacteria or fall into food. Day to day, a good venue makes personal hygiene easy to follow: hand basins are stocked with soap and single-use towels, there is a clear rule that staff who are unwell stay home or are moved off food handling, and the food safety supervisor reinforces expectations. Many businesses build these habits into induction training and the food safety program so they are consistent across every shift. A cafe cook arrives for an early shift feeling slightly nauseous. Remembering the venue's rule, she tells the duty manager rather than starting on the breakfast prep. Because vomiting and diarrhoea are reportable symptoms under the health and hygiene requirements, the manager reassigns her away from open food and sends her home when a replacement arrives, avoiding the risk of contaminating dozens of customer meals.
Frequently asked questions
What are the main personal hygiene rules for food handlers?
Keep hands and clothing clean, wash hands at the right times, restrain hair, cover cuts with a waterproof dressing, avoid touching your face or hair over food, and do not spit, smoke or eat where open food is handled. These reflect the health and hygiene duties in Standard 3.2.2.
Do I have to tell my employer if I am sick?
Yes. If you have or may have a foodborne illness, or symptoms such as vomiting, diarrhoea, fever or a sore throat with fever, you must report it to your supervisor. Where there is a risk of contaminating food you must not handle food until you are well.
Can food handlers wear jewellery or nail polish?
The Code does not ban them outright, but many businesses limit jewellery and nail polish because they can harbour bacteria or become a physical hazard if a stone, bead or flake falls into food. Follow your food business's own policy.
Why should wound dressings be brightly coloured?
A bright, often blue, waterproof dressing is easy to see against most foods, so if it comes loose it can be spotted and removed quickly. It also keeps the wound covered to stop bacteria from the cut reaching food.
Is personal hygiene a legal requirement in Australia?
Yes. The health and hygiene requirements for food handlers sit in Standard 3.2.2 of the Food Standards Code, which is enforced through state and territory food laws. Businesses must ensure handlers meet these obligations.
