GENERAL PERSONNEL HYGIENE CONDITIONS

Man is a fundamental vehicle in transmitting pathogenic agents to food during all its preparation and distribution stages.
Food can be contaminated directly (by an operator who is sick, or a carrier of pathogenic organisms) or indirectly (by the operator as a passive vehicle for germs).

The main contamination routes are via the hands and other unprotected parts of the body.

The micro-organisms that are the most frequent causes of food infections and poisoning, and which are hosted by Man, are Staphylococcus aureus (respiratory system, cuts, boils) and enterobacteriaceae (present in the human intestine).

Therefore hygiene is of the utmost importance, and in particular, personnel must:
1- wear appropriate and clean work clothes, and must not wear civilian clothes, which may be contaminated by various types of microbes, unless they are protected by a tunic or overalls;
2 – ensure work clothes are washed frequently;
3 – wear clean protective caps that completely cover the scalp in order to avoid contamination by hair that, apart from the risk of foreign bodies that are decidedly unwelcome from a consumer's point of view, is also a source of germs;
4 – avoid using cotton handkerchiefs, using the more hygiene disposable paper tissues instead, in order to minimise contamination with micro-organisms each time they touch their hands;
5 – use working shoes only, as street shoes can contaminate floors by transporting dirt from one area to another;
6 – avoid wearing rings, watches and jewellery that may harbour microbes, prevent the operator from washing his/her hands properly, and fall into doughs or mixtures;
7 – not smoke, drink or eat in preparation areas;
8 –avoid leaving food or drinks in preparation areas or refrigerators in order to avoid cross contamination;
9 – avoid sneezing or coughing in the vicinity of the product.
10 – pay special attention to cuts and wounds to the hands, covering them with waterproof material;
11 – avoid touching pustules or skin rashes at all costs, as these can contain large numbers of germs;
12 – wash their hands frequently, especially after using the lavatory, after carrying out maintenance operations, after touching anything other than the dough, after handling foods that are naturally contaminated with microbes, and must avoid drying their hands on their tunic or overalls;
13 – ensure their nails are kept short and clean,