09/16/2005

PDF / Photos / Audio / Video chowillness.pdf (477 Kb)

Chow Line: Restaurant workers: Don’t work when ill (for 9/25/05)

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@osu.edu
(614) 292-9833

Source:

Jaime Ackerman Foster, Human Nutrition

My son works at a fast-food place. He had a sore throat last week, but no fever or runny nose. Still, he called off work, saying he shouldn’t be handling food when he was sick. Was he right?

Your son was either being overly cautious or he just didn’t feel like working. Food safety experts say that a sore throat alone doesn’t pose a food-safety risk. If the sore throat was accompanied by a fever, then by all means, stay away from food preparation. But isolated incidences of a sore throat, itchy eyes, a cough, or even a runny nose don’t present a high risk even when working around food. Of course, any time food-handlers cough into their hand, or wipe their nose or eyes, they must wash their hands thoroughly before returning to food preparation.

Some types of illness are sure signs to stay home. They include a fever of 101 degrees or above, diarrhea, vomiting, a sore throat accompanied by a fever, or yellowing skin or eyes (indicating jaundice). In fact, food-service workers at hospitals, day-care centers, nursing homes or other facilities that serve high-risk populations must not work if they have any of those symptoms. It’s simply too chancy.

Frequently washing hands with soap and hot (at least 100 degrees) water is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of food-borne illness. According to the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, food-service workers should wash their hands for at least 20 seconds, scrubbing under fingernails and between fingers, whenever they:

• Use the restroom.
• Handle raw meat, fish or poultry.
• Touch their hair, face or body.
• Sneeze, cough, or use a tissue.
• Smoke, eat, drink, chew gum or tobacco.
• Handle chemicals that might affect the safety of food.
• Take out the trash.
• Clear tables or bus dirty dishes.
• Touch clothing or aprons.
• Touch anything else that may contaminate hands.

Chow Line is a service of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Martha Filipic, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1044, or filipic.3@osu.edu.

-30-

Editor: September is National Food Safety Education Month. More information about safety at food-service establishments can be found at the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation’s Food Safety Month Web site at http://www.nraef.org/nfsem/.

This column was reviewed by Jaime Ackerman Foster, registered dietitian and nutrition program manager in the Department of Human Nutrition, College of Human Ecology.