Unit 1 Lesson 3c – Personal Habits Copy

Personal Habits

  • Staff should not smoke in food areas.
  • Chewing gum and eating while handling food should also not happen.
  • Coughing, sneezing and spitting over food is a big no. Avoid touching the face or nose.
  • Wash hands if you do as harmful bacteria can be spread from the face and hands to food.
  • Do not wear strong smelling perfumes.
  • No nail varnish.
  • No jewellery other than a plain wedding band or sleeper earrings.

Why Wash Hands?


Washing your hands should be an ingrained habit. It should be a fore-thought not an after-thought.
Whenever you recognise that you have been in contact with surfaces that could be potentially germ heavy, it is important to wash your hands.
Ensure that you keep hands away from your face and limit contact with other surfaces until you get to clean your hands.
Any germs that are on your hands will invariably find their way onto food and once the food is eaten those germs have invariably found their way into your customer.

Effective Washing: The 5 Step Process.

It is easy to wash your hands and it’s one of the most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs. It is not just a matter of personal hygiene, it is also about being caring for your community. Bad hygiene is negligence as you are putting the safety of others at risk by not performing a very simple and straightforward task. It is a legal requirement within the food industry to comply with best practice procedures.

Follow these five steps every time you wash your hands

  • Wet your hands and then apply soap–good practice is to use antibacterial liquid wash to comply with BS EN 1499:1997.
  • Lather your hands–the backs, between fingers, and under nails.
  • Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.
  • Rinse your hands and turn off the tap with your elbow or a paper towel, (once you’ve dried your hands). You must not recontaminate your hands by touching the taps again. Touchless taps or sensor operated taps are best.
  • Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them. Walking away with damp hands is a big no no; it increases the spread of bacteria by up to 1,000 times. Air dryers should be well away from food preparation surfaces and equipment (droplets and bacteria can spread up to 2.5m in every direction via aerosolisation). When using paper towels, there shouldn’t be any contact with the dispenser because of recontamination, and pedal operated or no touch sensor bins should be provided for disposing of the towels.

Let’s see how this looks in practice in the next video.