Advantage Good Agricultural Practices Manual

1.2 Hand Washing

Workers could contaminate food, food contact surfaces, water supplies and packaging materials if they do not follow proper hand washing practices.

This Good Agricultural Practice applies to:

Farms that have workers who milk livestock or handle eggs, honey, fruit or vegetables.

What needs to be done

Make sure workers use effective hand washing practices to reduce the risk of worker-borne contamination.

How to do it

Establish good hand washing practices

Did you know?

The United States Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) believes thoroughly washing hands is the single most important thing a person can do to keep from getting sick or to keep from infecting others.

• The three easy steps for effective hand washing are:
  1. Wet hands with potable water and apply soap.
  2. Scrub the surface of the hands and wrists, in between fingers and under nails for 15 to 20 seconds. Note that fingernails should be trimmed and maintained so soil and filth can be easily removed from under and around them. If a clean nailbrush is available, use it to thoroughly remove soil from under the nails.
  3. Rinse hands with potable water and dry with a clean towel. To avoid cross-contamination, do not use common or shared towels.
• Make sure hands are washed:
  • Before handling products, packaging materials or food contact surfaces
  • Following breaks or use of toilet facilities
  • When hands become dirty

• If you don't have access to water, hand sanitizing lotions and wipes can be used, but be cautious as they work best on clean, dry hands. Dirt, moisture or oil will reduce their effectiveness.
• Consider using sanitizers for extra protection after washing with soap and water or when soap and water are unavailable

• Make sure dirty gloves don't contaminate products. To minimize contamination, gloves should be:
• Of contrasting colour to the product being handled so that if pieces are torn off, they can be observed and removed
• Free of cuts and tears
• washed or sanitized using practices similar to hand washing
• Discard gloves once they are soiled and can no longer be cleaned.
  

 

Provide adequate hand washing facilities

Make sure hands are washed often using properly maintained hand washing stations. For more information on hand washing stations, refer to 2.3 Toilet and Hand Washing Facilities in this manual.

In general

• Use appropriate signage in the workplace to remind workers to wash hands frequently.
• Designate someone to ensure workers are following hand washing practices.
  
  

Did you know?

You will find an example of a written practice in the Training and Support Tools section (refer to Sample B). You will also find a hand washing poster for your use (Sample C).

If you need an audit

Be prepared for the auditor to observe:

Written instructions or prominent signs outlining hand washing practices

Laws and regulations that apply

There are few specific agricultural laws that impact on food safety requiring persons to wash their hands on-farm. Generally, these requirements are laid out in laws regarding the processing of meat, fish and other food products or for food premises or egg-grading stations, which are outside the scope of this document.

Milk Act, R.R.O. 1990, Reg. 761, s. 13 (6) requires persons to wash their hands immediately prior to milking and keep them clean during milking.

Other legislation to be aware of

"New Guidelines for Farming Operations," under the Occupational Health and Safety Act, June 2006, specifies that the employer should instruct workers on safe handling procedures and proper personal hygiene techniques to minimize contact with chemical or biological hazards

Did you know?

Mary Mallon was an Irish immigrant and a healthy carrier of Salmonella typhi. Although she did not show any symptoms of the illness, the bacteria she carried could make people sick.

Mary worked as a cook in private homes around New York City. Many of the families she worked for caught typhoid, usually by eating iced peaches, Mary's favourite dessert. Mary did not believe she was making people sick and tried to escape from?public health officials who were trying to quarantine her.

Today, "Typhoid Mary" is a term for carriers of a disease who are a danger to the public because they refuse?to take appropriate precautions or cooperate with the authorities to minimize the risk.

Proceed to 1.3 Clothing and Footwear