Harmful organisms, such as bacteria and viruses, grow easily, so think of your hands and fingernails as always "contaminated". Just because they look clean does not mean they are clean. Harmful organisms are too tiny to see with your eyes. If you do not wash your hands in the right way and keep your fingernails trimmed short, your hands can put harmful organisms in food which gets eaten by your customers. They may get sick from these harmful organisms. This is called "food borne illness" or "food poisoning". Soap and hot water will wash away harmful organisms.

Plastic gloves can also spread harmful organisms. Wash your hands before putting on gloves and change gloves between tasks. Remember to always wash your hands.

Work Only When You Are Well.

If you feel sick you should not go to work. The harmful organisms you bring to work can spread when you sneeze and cough, and when you touch food, dishes, counters, utensils, forks, knives and spoons, pots, pans, and other people.

You must inform your employer if you are ill. You may be excluded from the establishment or restricted from handling food and/or clean dishes and can be re-assigned to other tasks. The following chart summarizes who is restricted or excluded.

Restricting and Excluding Food Service Employees
Health Status	Facilities NOT Serving Highly Susceptible Populations (HSP)*	Facilities Serving Highly Susceptible Populations (HSP)*
Diagnosed with: Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp., shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli , hepatitis A and Norovirus Jaundice within the last 7 days	EXCLUDE	EXCLUDE
Food borne illness symptoms such as diarrhea, fever, or vomiting Persistent discharge from eyes, nose and mouth A boil, infected wound or infected sore Sore throat with fever Exposed to a food borne illness outbreak caused by Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp., shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli Had Jaundice more than 7 days ago	RESTRICT Must reassign work or tasks	EXCLUDE
Illness from Salmonella typhi within the last 3 months or Shigella spp. Or shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli within the last month	NO RESTRICTIONS	EXCLUDE
HIV, AIDS, Blood-borne Hepatitis (Hepatitis B or C) or other conditions unrelated to the transmission of food borne illness (such as tuberculosis)	NO RESTRICTIONS	NO RESTRICTIONS

* Facilities serving highly susceptible populations include hospitals, nursing homes, or childcare facilities for preschool age children.

Returning to Work

An employee who has been excluded because of Salmonella typhi, Shigella spp., shiga toxin-producing Escherichia coli, hepatitis A or Norovirus can ONLY return to work with written documentation from a doctor.

Take Care of How You Look and How You Act

You want to look clean and be clean when you are at work. Your clothes, apron, or uniform should be clean.

As you know, it is not healthy to smoke or use any form of tobacco. If you use tobacco, do not smoke or chew it while you are working or when you are near food or dishwashing areas. Smoke only while you are on a break. If you go outside to smoke, you must be at least 20 feet from a public entrance due to the Bryan/College Station smoking ordinance. After you smoke, wash your hands before you return to work.

All food handlers must wear some type of hair restraint, i.e. hair net, baseball cap, visor, etc. Facial hair may require a beard guard.