Employee Hand Washing Policy
for Foodservice Providers

As a business serving and working with food, handwashing is one of the most important practices you can implement. Germs spread fast, but with the right educational resources and products, hand washing can be the safe, quick, and effective way to maintain a safe business and keep employees and customers healthy.

There are a few key ways that you can avoid a health code violation and fine, including:

1. Where the Best Places Are to Wash Hands
2. Educate Staff on How to Wash Hands
3. Learn When Employees Should Wash Hands
4. Helpful Guidelines for Hand Care
5. Implement Signage: Hand Washing Signs
6. Avoid Fines: Create a Policy (In Just Two Steps!)

Where to Wash Hands

Whether your employees are working in back of house with food or in front of house with customers—one rule remains consistent—good hand washing practices need to be implemented regularly, regardless of your employee’s role.

Employees should wash their hands in bathrooms or in kitchen sinks with soap and water, and use a towel to dry off their hands once complete. Adding different signage options around your business (for employees and customers) keeps handwashing at top-of mind and provides directions to the nearest bathrooms and washing stations.

Limited sinks at your business? Place hand sanitizer dispensers (with at least 60% alcohol) near frequently touched areas. Some top areas we recommend are near elevators, business entrances/exits, checkout counters and shared equipment.

How to Wash Hands

As recommended by the CDC, good hand hygiene means regularly washing hands with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, and then drying them. Buying soap products in bulk is highly recommended—it can save money in the long run, and you can always rest assured you won’t run out abruptly. We have savings plans available on top-selling soaps like this berry-vanilla scented soap. Looking for another option besides your traditional soap and water? Try using an alcohol-based hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol to get the job done.

Handwashing should be taken especially seriously in the food service industry, as a large percentage of foodborne disease outbreaks are spread by contaminated hands. So, it’s more important than ever for food service providers to teach employees how to effectively wash hands to reduce the risk of foodborne illness and other infections.

Per the CDC, correctly washing hands can reduce respiratory illnesses like colds, by 21%!

When Should Employees Wash Their Hands?

Businesses who make hand hygiene part of their daily routine can improve the health of their employees, customers, workplace, and even community. One trick to making handwashing within reach is to place sanitizer stands like this one throughout high traffic areas. However, if your employee’s hands are visibly dirty, tell them to skip the hand sanitizer. This is a heavy-duty job that calls for using soap and water manually by washing their hands in a sink.

There are many times throughout a typical day that employees should stop what they’re doing to wash their hands. Here’s a few crucial times:

Before:

• Arriving to work
• Taking breaks
• Eating or preparing food

After:

• Taking breaks
• Using the restroom
• Coughing, sneezing or blowing their nose
• Handling money

To make handwashing even easier for employees, many of our customers are providing employees with small, personal sanitizer bottles to use throughout the day.

Did you know: CDC info shows that if everyone routinely washed their hands, a million deaths a year could be prevented!

Hand Care Guidelines

If you’re short-staffed, you simply can’t afford to have healthy workers get sick and call off.

Are you struggling to manage employee burnout with your healthy employees? We’ve found some research you might find helpful.

So, it’s crucial to educate employees that handwashing alone isn’t the only way to reduce germ spread. The CDC encourages hand hygiene guidelines to continue this effort. Here’s a few guidelines to consider enforcing in your own business:

Hand Washing Signs

Communication is key in making all employees and customers aware on standard practices and procedures in handwashing. If you’re looking to improve handwashing in your business, signage is a quick, easy, and non-invasive place to start.

Here’s two signage options we recommend if you’re trying to:

• Remind Employees to Wash Their Hands
• Educate Customers & Staff on How to Wash Their Hands

We also supply a wide range of other signage options to even further your communication to customers and employees.

Avoid Fines: Create a Policy in Two Simple Steps

Laws from the FDA have already been created to make sure businesses are maintaining standards of cleanliness. It may come as no surprise that one of these laws enforces proper and frequent handwashing by employees.

Since your whole staff has to be on the same page as you, simply posting reminders isn’t going to cut it. To make everyday cleanliness and daily handwashing a staple in your business, we recommend creating an official policy so everyone onboard has a clear view of your vision and expectations.

In the long run, creating a policy can save you ample amounts of time and even money by avoiding unwanted sanitation fines. To stay in-the-know, remember that hand washing regulations are updated every four years. Stay informed by visiting federal regulator’s websites like the FDA or CDC website.

Ready to write your policy? Here’s a sample copy to get you started:

(Step 1: State Your Intent)

Our Company has adopted handwashing policies to ensure that all measures are taken to prevent the spread of bacteria and diseases within the workplace, and to ensure the ongoing health and safety of our employees and customers.

(Step 2: State Your Guidelines)

Effective immediately, the following policy applicable to all company employees will adhere to the following guidelines:

• All employees will self-monitor for symptoms of illness prior to work arrival.
• Employees who have any symptoms of fever OR respiratory illness will not be allowed to work as reinforced by the employee illness reporting agreement.
• Employees must notify person in charge of establishment of specific symptoms and illnesses, and that the person in charge will assure that employee’s exclusion or restriction from work duties to prevent transmission of foodborne illnesses.
• Employees sign an employee illness agreement indicating they understand the policy and agree to follow the guidelines.