Employees can be a major source of contamination since they come in frequent contact with food during processing. Lack of proper hand washing is the second-most cause of foodborne illness. It's hard to believe but it's true. I read the interesting story some time ago about Ignaz Semmelweis and his discovery about the intimate relationship between handwashing and spreading of disease. Semmelweis was a Hungarian Physician in the late nineteenth century. He observed fewer deaths among his patients when he washed before attending to them. This may seem like a no-brainer to us, but back then the tiny world of microbes was not yet discovered. Semmelweis knew he was onto something but did not understand the scientific reason. Given the lack of scientific basis, the medical community who he tried to share this finding with, rejected it and also rejected Semmelweis as a quack. He became very depressed over the who affair and was later subject to an asylum where he died after a beating by guards. Years later, Louis Pasteur discovered microorganisms at which point Semmelweis’s hand washing theory was finally understood and accepted.  Hand washing may appear simple but it is a big deal. Spend the time to make sure that all employees understand how important it is. The steps in hand washing are:

1. Wet hands with clean running water
2. Apply soap
3. Rub palms, back of hands, between fingernails and arms all the way to the elbow for at least 20 seconds
4. Rinse with clean running water
5. Dry with clean disposable towel or air dry

Employees should wash their hands before proceeding to production and should also wash during production whenever their hands become soiled. Hands should always be washed whenever they come in contact with hair or skin, or with body fluids from coughing or sneezing. Hand washing can be encouraged by locating appropriate signage and instructions at strategic points in the plant and by supervising and monitoring. Fake nails on fingers pose a risk to physical contamination and should therefore not be worn in the facility. In many cases, employees will be required to wear gloves instead of direct handling. Disposable gloves should be discarded if they become contaminated, or damaged. If they are reusable gloves, they should be cleaned and sanitized whenever they become contaminated. Colored gloves are preferred since they are easily detected if they get into food. Other protective gears include hair and beard covers, coats, and shoes. Hair and beard covers are preferred to nets since they provide better protection against falling hair. They should adequately cover the entire beard and hair including ear lobes. False eyelashes are not permitted. Coats should be without pockets. Disposable coats should be disposed of when soiled, while reusable coats should be changed for clean ones. Cleaning of coats may either be centralized at the facility or they may be sent to a cleaner. Shoes must be closed-toe type, non-slip and safe for the nature of work to be done. Steel-tip protection will provide additional safety protection against falling objects. Jewelry should be removed before moving to areas where food is prepared or stored. Medical alert bracelets are allowed. Wedding bands may be allowed as well, if they are plain and without stone or engravings. Lip rings, tongue rings and other body piercings should be discouraged by having a general policy against wearing of jewelry except where you provide for clear exceptions e.g. medical bracelets or plain wedding bands. Employees should not report to work if they are sick or show any flu symptoms such as sore throat, coughing, sneezing or fever since these may be signs of foodborne illness. Employees should never handle food if they have open sores or boils. If employees inadvertently get their hand cut or bruised during the operation, the exposed wound should be covered with a colored band aid followed by covering with a disposable glove. One final thing about employee hygiene is that eating and drinking should not be done in designated areas at the facility. Smoking should be discouraged, especially if you are producing ready-to-eat foods. I remember doing a regulatory inspection at a snack factory some years ago and noticed the owner walking onto the production floor smoking. It was shocking. It made me wonder what went on when inspectors were not around. Make sure to set a good example for your employees.