Employee Hygiene and Illness

The individual food-handler hygiene facts behind this topic are covered in detail in your Food Handler Certificate course: It is in your Hands and Importance of Personal Hygiene. Review those there before continuing.

Operator-level responsibility

As the operator, your responsibility goes beyond your own personal hygiene: you need a written illness-reporting policy that tells staff exactly when they must report symptoms, which conditions require them to stay home, and who they report to. Keep a simple log of any reported illness and the action taken (sent home, cleared to return, etc.) as part of your Food Safety Plan documentation. This policy should be reviewed with staff at onboarding and posted where staff can reference it.