Personal hygiene rules for food handlers

All food handlers must ensure they:

·      Wash themselves before coming to/starting work

·      Wear the protective clothing that is provided (including headwear) at all times whilst handling food

·      Do not have hair that is longer than shoulder-length, without being contained within a hat or hairnet

·      Do not wear protective clothing outside

·      Store personal clothing in the facility provided and not in a food room

·      Do not wear jewellery, except for permitted sleeper earrings and/or a plain wedding ring

·      Do not wear watches (if wristbands must be worn, they should be covered to reduce the risk of contamination)

·      Mobile phones are not to be used in food preparation areas

·      Cover/remove any stud piercings

·      Keep fingernails short and clean with no nail varnish (clear or coloured), no false nails

·      Do not wear perfume or aftershave

·      Do not cough or sneeze over the food

·      Cover all wounds with blue, detectable waterproof dressings

·      Do not smoke in any food room (smoking is only permitted in the specified area), Chefs and KPs in alley away from back door only

·      Smokers must cover their food handling uniform

·      Do not eat in any food room

·      Wash their hands before starting work, after using the toilet, after handling raw foods (and before handling ready-to-eat-foods), after handling rubbish, regularly throughout the day and whenever the hands are contaminated

·      Report all symptoms of diarrhoea and vomiting and contact with persons suffering from food-borne diseases to their line manager, and

·      Report to their line manager if they are suffering from, or known to be a carrier of, a disease likely to be transmitted through food or while affected with infected wounds, skin infections, sores, diarrhoea or vomiting.  Management will then take the necessary action to ensure food safety is not compromised.

PLEASE CONFIRM YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THESE NOTES

The law

We must provide information about allergens to our customers.

This information relates to ingredients used in the preparation of the foods we serve. This does not include substances that may be present through cross-contamination.

Inaccurate or incomplete information would be a breach of the regulations and could result in penalties.

 What are the allergens in question?

• Celery and Celeriac
• Milk
• Cereals containing gluten (found in wheat, barley, rye, spelt and kamut)
• Molluscs
• Crustaceans
• Mustard
• Eggs
• Lupin
• Fish
• Tree nuts
• Peanuts
• Sesame Seeds
• Soya
• Sulphur Dioxide (Sulphites) 

Our food allergies policy

We

• recognise the potentially life-threatening risks that are associated with food allergies;
• comply with the legal requirements;
• document the allergens present in the food we serve;
• provide clear and accurate ingredients information about the 14 allergens for every dish on our menu or unpackaged products and makes sure it is available for all of our customers;
• ensure all members of staff know where the allergen information is kept;
• make sure all staff have received basic training about the allergens contained in our food and food allergies, ensure that there are experienced staff available per shift to field customer questions;
• regularly communicate all ingredient changes with our staff and customers; and
• put into place an emergency protocol for allergic reactions.

Providing the information to customers

If the event is a pre paid event or wedding the information will be requested from the booker and logged on our function sheets and seating plans for us to work from

If the guests are visiting for a restaurant style service they should be asked if there are any allergies or special dietary requirements when they arrive and when the food order is taken

We collect and maintain the allergen information, which is located here:  On our website, the allergen matrix in the kitchen

 
The people who maintain the information and can provide it are:  The chef/manager on duty, Simon Mcnamara, Teresa Arthur

 

We provide a signs to advise customers to ask our staff here:  On the menu, the website, through our booking partners

Customer enquiry procedure

1.  Staff notify manager or nominated person of food allergic customer

2. Manager speaks with customer regarding their needs, checks against allergy matrix and communicates with kitchen and front-of-house staff

3. Kitchen staff prepare food using specified recipes

4. Waiting/serving staff ensure customer receives correct food

5. Staff continue to check with customer to ensure all is satisfactory

Allergic reaction

Emergency Protocol for Anaphylaxis

If someone is finding it hard to breathe, if their lips or mouth are swollen, or if they collapse, you should:

• Don’t move the person, this could make things worse
• Keep the person lying down with legs raised
• Call 999 immediately & state “Anaphylaxis”
• Check if the customer has an auto-injector & can self-administer
• Send someone outside to wait for the ambulance & stay with the person until qualified help arrives

 

You should understand the information you have been provided with.  Your manager can take you through these notes if extra help is required.

Please sign below to confirm you fully understand.

I confirm that I have read and understood the Food Allergies Staff Training Notes and understand my responsibilities outlined in the Food Allergies Policy.

Follow the link attached to the UK Food Standards Agency Allergen Training Course.  Complete the course and then upload your certificate below.

If you have already completed a formal course from Mapal One, Flow or similar you don't need to do this course as well.  Just upload your valid certificate below

https://allergytraining.food.gov.uk/

PLEASE NOTE you must upload a valid certificate to be paid the training uplift payment

USE OF FIRE EXTINGUISHERS

       On the Discovery of Fire

-            If you discover a fire, raise the alarm immediately shout ‘FIRE’ and activate the nearest fire call point.

-            Ensure you operate any essential shutdown devices within the area immediately.

-            If you have been trained and feel that it is safe to do so, attempt to fight the fire using the equipment provided.

-            DO NOT put yourself or any other person at any personal risk.

-            If you find yourself using more than one extinguisher STOP! Contact emergency services. Evacuate the building ensuring you follow the procedure as listed.

-            If you do not feel it is safe to attempt to fight the fire keep calm and contact the emergency services.

-            Ensure that no-one is left in the area you are working in and Evacuate Immediately. As leaving the building ensures that the area you have been working in has been fully checked for guests.

-            Where possible close windows and doors as you leave.

-            Do not stop to collect personal belongings.

-            Assemble at the Allocated zone for each venue.

-            Report Immediately to the Fire Coordinator or a Fire Warden giving them clear information to include:

o   The Exact location of the fire.

o   The location of any flammable substances that is in close proximity to the location of the fire.

o   An approximate time the Fire Brigade was called.

-            Play your part in the roll call so you are safely accounted for try to recall who you have seen today and account for them.

 

Staff MUST NOT put themselves at risk to fight a fire. NEVER fight fires in areas where highly flammable materials are held.

 

If You Hear the Fire Alarm

-            Operate any essential shutdown devices e.g machinery.

-            Where possible a member of your department should take the Staff rota with them inn order to establish who should be on site.

-            Ensure that when leaving the building you check the area you are working in for any guests and assist them with the evacuation.

-            Immediately leave using the nearest available fire exit

-            Do not stop to collect personal belongings.

-            Report to the Allocated Zone for the roll call. Try to recall who you have worked with today and account for them.

-            If you are with a visitor, ensure they accompany you to the assembly point and inform the Fire Co-ordinator or a Fire Warden that they are present.

 

The Do’s and Don’ts of When Evacuating the Building

-            DO exit quickly and calmly.

-            DO check the area you are working in for guests and assist them with the evacuation.

-            DO go directly to Allocated Zone and report to a Fire Warden.

-            DO NOT enter any buildings unless directed by the Fire Safety Coordinator/Fire Marshall.

-            DO NOT stop to collect bags.

-            DO close the door and windows behind you where possible.

-            DO keep noise to a minimum to ensure that instructions can be heard clearly.

-            DO keep the emergency vehicle access route clear at all times.

-            DO NOT silence the alarms until all staff and guests have been accounted for.

 

Once the Building Has Been Evacuated

-            The Fire coordinator (with the assistance of the Fire Warden) will take control and ensure that all Staff and Guests are accounted for.

-            The alarm MUST NOT be silenced until all Staff and guests have been accounted for.

-            If there are no obvious signs of a Fire Co-Coordinator must determine if it is a false alarm. To establish this, they will need to re-enter the building and investigate by reading the alarm box.

-            If a fire is present the Fire Co-ordinator must leave the building ensuring all doors are closed behind them and the Fire Brigade must be contacted immediately.

-            The Fire Warden and Fire Co-ordinator are to ensure that no Staff or Guests re-enter the building until told to do so by the Fire Brigade.

 

The 4 key areas of manual handling When carrying out a manual handling risk assessment, you should be considering four main areas:

 1 - the nature of the task

 2 - the capabilities of the individual performing it

3 - the type of load

4 - the environment the manual handling is taking place in.

These four factors can be easily remembered by using the acronym TILE.

TASK

INDIVIDUAL

LOAD

ENVIRONMENT

 

SIZE UP THE TASK

 Consider the task on a basic, logistical level.

 What does the manual handling process involve?

 What do you want to achieve?

 What is the end result?

What are the steps involved to reach that end?

Factors include the positioning of the load, the size of the area that needs to be covered, and the number of people needed to carry it out.

Particular consideration should be given to whether the handler will need to stoop down or twist at the waist at any point, as well as ensuring those involved have adequate opportunity to rest and recover.

INDIVIDUALS

This step requires employers to consider the personal capabilities of those involved in the work, including you age, pre-existing health conditions or prior injuries, the equipment they possess and whether or not they require specialist training.

Some tasks may call for a person with a specific level of strength, height, or flexibility.

LOAD

This doesn’t just mean checking the weight of the object or objects.

There are several characteristics beyond weight that can make loads difficult or easy to transport.

 It could be an unwieldy shape, difficult to grasp, it could obscure the carrier’s view when they hold it or contain products that are likely to shift around during transit, which can affect balance and damage the load itself.

Take the time to inspect every aspect of the load, not just how it looks at face value or how it reads on paper.

ENVIRONMENT

The environment can also play a key role in manual handling tasks.

This is especially the case if space is restricted, if the ground is uneven or slippery, if the lighting or ventilation is poor, and if the environment is exposed to weather and the elements.

 As such, taking these factors into account should also be a key part of the risk assessment process.

Manual Handling Techniques

 DO

1. Bend the knees to lift without curving the back and grasp the object as close to the body as possible

 2. Avoid twisting the body as much as possible by turning your feet to position yourself

3. Use/offer a kick stool to reach items on higher shelves If possible, divide the task into micro-tasks: you may need to move an item or a person in increments, rather than all at once

4. Ask for help if you need it and encourage your workers/peers to do the same

5. Take particular care if you or your workers are handling hazardous materials

DON’T

1. Don't try to move an item or an individual that is too heavy or difficult for your capacity

2. Don't Use equipment you’re not familiar with

3. Don't Try to move items over long distances or upstairs

4. Don't Attempt to handle loads in a small or restricted working space

5. Don't Ignore any signs of pain or discomfort your body may send you – this built-in early warning system is here to help you.

6. Don't Ignore the legislation – it’s there to protect employees and help employers understand their responsibilities

 

Slips, trips & falls in the workplace

Overview:

-   Too much light on a shiny floor can cause glare and stop people from seeing hazards on the floor and stairs.

-   Too little light will also prevent people from seeing hazards on the floor and stairs.

-   Unfamiliar and loud noises may be distracting.

-   If rainwater gets onto a smooth surface inside or outside of a building, it may create a slip hazard. Good entrance design (eg canopies) can help.

-   Cold weather can cause frost and ice to form, which may create slippery surfaces.

-   Condensation may make a smooth floor slippery.

-   Deal with spillages instead of waiting for someone else to deal with it.

-   Rushing, carrying large objects which prevents them from seeing where they are going or becoming distracted whilst walking eg. by using a mobile phone.

-    Restrict access to wet/drying floors.

-    Uneven floors & surfaces         

 

How can you help to prevent slips and trips in your workplace?

-           Report near misses and accidents promptly to your employer.

-           If you see slip and trip risks, try to sort them out or inform your employer.

-           Help to keep floors clean and dry.

-           Clear up spillages straight away

-           If you think of ways of preventing contamination (water, oils, cardboard, waste, etc) from getting onto the floor, suggest them to your employer.

-           Avoid causing trailing cables.

-           Keep place of work clear of obstacles

-           Ask your employer to mark slopes and changes of levels.

-           If there isn’t adequate lighting, report it.

-           Follow all safety advice.

 

If you fall, depending on the severity:

-           Tend to your injuries.

-           Report the accident.

-           Create a record in your works accident book.

-           Take photographs of the scene of the accident.

-           Make sure colleagues know about your accident.

-           Keep a record of injuries, symptoms, and medical treatments.

-           Keep a record of your accident-related expenses.

 

 

What does COSHH mean?

COSHH stands for 'Control of Substances Hazardous to Health'. COSHH is a set of regulations put in place to protect workers from ill health when working with specific substances and materials.

Breach of COSHH regulations by an employer or employee is a crime, punishable by an unlimited fine.

What are the COSHH symbols and their meanings?

There are nine primary hazard symbols relating to COSHH and this section will explain the COSHH signs.

 

While some of these signs and symbols are self-explanatory or have obvious meanings, others deserve more explanation:

Dangerous to the environment -

Chemicals that may present an immediate or delayed danger to aspects of the environment – wildlife, plant life, people, weather systems.

Toxic - Chemicals that at low levels cause damage to health. When the sign includes a T+ in the top left-hand corner, it means chemicals that can cause damage to health at very low levels.

Oxidising - Chemicals and preparations that react exothermically with other chemicals – often resulting in combustion. Common oxidizing agents are oxygen, hydrogen peroxide and the halogens.

Corrosive - Substances that can damage or destroy other substances with which it comes into contact by means of a chemical reaction. These can exist as any state of matter, including liquids, solids, gases, mists and vapours.

Longer-term health hazards - This sign indicates the presence of a cancer-causing (carcinogenic) agent or substance with respiratory, reproductive or organ toxicity that causes damage over time (a chronic, or long-term, health hazard).  

Caution - Caution relates to slightly less hazardous substances that may not pose an immediate or severe threat to health but should be handled carefully within the workplace.

 

 

COSHH was introduced to control the exposure of a business’ employees to hazardous substances. A COSHH assessment concentrates on the hazards and risks from substances in a workplace and asks questions such as:

Where is there potential for exposure to substances that might be hazardous to health?
In what way are the substances harmful to health?
What jobs or tasks lead to exposure?
Are there any areas of concern?
The COSHH regulations have been in place for more than 25 years, but the most recent iteration (2002) were re-enacted with amendments of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Work Regulations 1999.

 

COSHH employer responsibilities
Employers have a number of key responsibilities regarding COSHH laws. These include:

Exposure - Employers must prevent or control exposure to hazardous substances. This can include the provision of appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) where necessary
Control measures - Implement control measures around hazardous substances and ensure these are maintained and kept up to date, in full working order and clean where appropriate
Instruction - Provide employees with information, instruction and training around working with hazardous substances
Procedures - Having procedures in place to deal with accidents and emergencies relating to hazardous substances
Surveillance - Ensure employees exposed to hazardous substances are under adequate surveillance
Risk assessments - Carry out COSHH risk assessments.
Limits - Ensure the use of hazardous substances doesn't exceed the Workplace Exposure Limit (WEL).
Supervision - Check employees are carrying out tasks as they are supposed to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Glass and Breakages in the Workplace

GLASS POLICY in food areas

In order to reduce the likelihood of glass contaminating the food, we operate a policy of ensuring glass materials in food preparation areas is excluded.

Foods are purchased out of glass wherever possible

Where glass bottles/jars are present in the kitchen, these will be stored in plastic trays in order to reduce the risk of them falling and breaking

Glass food container can be kept in the dry goods store, preferably protected from the risk of falling

Glass Jugs used for water, milk & juice must not be stored in fridges. Any excess juice/milk most only be stored in plastic containers for fridgeration 

All Glass bowls are prohibited from the food preparation areas and food storage areas, unless shatterproof

If there any glass breakages in a food area, any open food in the vicinity must be immediatley discarded, the area cleaned and checked prior to work commencing

if there is a glass breakage incident the details shoulb be recorded including what was broken, location and details of the food that was discarded as a result. the breakage should be recorded on FORM 1.6 

Other breakages 

-           Know where the dustpans and brushes are kept in the venue.

-           Know where the bins are located for broken glass and other breakages.

-           If there is no designated bin available, either check to see if there is a procedure in place ensuring that any broken glass and crockery is securely wrapped. If not, ask a supervisor.

-           If you see your colleagues picking up broken glass with their bare hands, stop them and encourage them to work safely with a dustpan and brush.

-           Review the location of cleanup kits and First Aid Supplies.

-           If anything breaks, warn others!

-           Do not hold on to broken glass or try to stop falling glass; move out of the way to a safe location.

-           Inspect containers and glass before unpacking, this is essential to reducing potential hazards.

-           When moving glass, ensure that no team members are in the area/path of glass movement.

-           For glasses such as a wine bottle, handle with two hands to minimise the chance of dropping the bottle.

 PLEASE CONFIRM YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD THESE NOTES BY SIGNING BELOW THIS CONFIRMATION WILL BE KEPT ON YOUR PERSONAL FILE

 

How to safely use a ladder:

 

 

1-     Different ladders have different heights and support different weights, check this information to make sure you choose the correct ladder

2-     Some of the damage/issues you want to check for are the following:

a.      Structural Damage, split/bent side rails, broken or loose rungs, steps, rails or braces.

b.     Loose screws, bolts, hinges and other hardware parts

c.      Grease, dirt or other contaminants that can result in slips or falls.

d.     Paint or stickers that might hide defects (Warning or safety labels not included).

3-     If you need to use the ladder, then you must be someone who has the capability of carrying out physical tasks. This can range from one’s grip strength, walking speed, chair rising, and standing balance times.

7-    When climbing or descending the ladder, the three points of contact should be observed for a secure handhold on the ladder. The three points of contact refers to two hands and one foot, or two feet and one hand.

9-    When using leaning ladders like an extension ladder, the position of the ladder should be angled at a ratio of 1:4. The base of the ladder being 1 meter away from the structure for every meter height of 4.

 

GDPR

GDPR, which stands for the General Data Protection Regulation, is a crucial piece of legislation that outlines how organizations must handle and safeguard personal data. It came into effect on May 25, 2018, replacing the Data Protection Act. Let’s explore what GDPR means for employees in the workplace:

 

GDPR is made up of 7 main principles. These are:

1-     Lawfulness, Fairness and transparency

2-     Purpose Limitation

3-     Data minimisation

4-     Accuracy

5-     Storage Limitations

6-     Integrity and Confidentiality

7-     Accountability

Essentially, if you are using information for something that isn’t for its intended purpose, then it more than likely violates GDPR. An example of this would be to use a clients contact information to contact them outside of work-related reasons.

 

Use of phones in the workplace

-           Any action that can violate GDPR should be always avoided.

-           Mobile Phones should not be used during work hours – unless it is for company business.

-           Use of mobile phones in work hours can affect productivity and pose health and safety risk.

-           Use of mobile phones during breaks is allowed.

-           Work mobile phones aren’t permitted for personal tasks or communication.

-           If you are expecting an important phone call, ask your manager for a possible “time-out” from work activities to address the phone call.

-           Mobile phones aren’t permitted to record/photograph confidential workplace information or documents.

 

 

Norovirus

What is it?
Norovirus, also known as ‘winter vomiting disease’ or ‘stomach flu’ is the most common cause of infectious diarrhoea in the UK.
Although not usually dangerous – the vast majority of sufferers recover after one or two days – the very young and the elderly are at risk of complications, such as dehydration, and may need hospital treatment.
Norovirus is known to cause large outbreaks of infection in hospitals, hotels, school, cruise ships and places of dense population.

How can you catch it?
Norovirus is highly infectious and spreads easily, usually through lack of good hygiene such as not washing hands after going to the toilet.

Symptoms of Norovirus
Symptoms typically begin between 24 and 48 hours after infection. Sudden onset of nausea is usually the first sign, followed by vomiting and watery diarrhoea. These will typically last 24 - 48 hours.

Some people may also experience a mild fever, aching limbs and headaches. Symptoms typically disappear after a day or two.

How do people catch norovirus?
Through contact with an infected person, as well as contact with surfaces – such as door handles and tables – that are contaminated with the virus.

It is also caught by consuming contaminated food or liquid.

This means that outbreaks are particularly common within contained environments such as hospitals, schools, offices, cruise ships and hotels.
Once you have caught norovirus, you are immune to the illness for around 14 weeks. After this time it is possible to be reinfected with the virus and suffer the  same symptoms.

What is the treatment?

There is no specific treatment for norovirus illness other than to let the illness run its course. Stay at home and drink plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration. That means regular sips of water or fruit juice, even if you are feeling sick.

Adults can take rehydration drinks and anti-diarrhoea medicines available from pharmacies. (Anti diarrhoea medicines are not suitable for children).
The vast majority of those infected make a full recovery within two days. But particular care must be taken with the very young and older people who catch norovirus, as they are at higher risk of dehydration.

 

What we can do to prevent an outbreak of norovirus in the workplace
Keeping the workplace entirely free of viruses and germs is very difficult but simple changes to personal hygiene habits or change of layout may help keep your workforce healthy and bug free.

Follow these simple steps to help prevent an outbreak:
Promote good hygiene standards. Encourage regularly washing of your hands and
always make sure good quality hand sanitisers are available (preferably alcohol free ones as these will form a gentle but long lasting barrier across hands, inactivating germs for hours after use and protecting against a wide range of bacteria and viruses, including the norovirus).
Ensure communal areas such as kitchens and washroom facilities are regularly cleaned.

Ask staff who contract the virus to stay away from work for at least 48 hours after the
symptoms have disappeared to avoid contaminating work colleagues.
In the event of an outbreak, commission a deep clean of the workplace.
Tips for employees to limit their risk of catching it
It is not possible to guarantee that you will not catch norovirus. However, good hygiene will lower your risk of catching or spreading the virus.

Follow these guidelines to minimise your risk of infection:
1. Wash your hands often throughout the day, especially after using the toilet and before preparing or eating food. The recommended length of time you should wash your hands is 30 seconds.
2. Avoid using items such as tea towels or towels, which are normally present in communal areas and used by lots of people. These items can house high levels of bacteria and are often not cleaned regularly.
Alternatively, encourage your employer to provide hand towel dispensers and lidded waste receptacles.
3. Clean your area regularly. Ensure all surfaces are thoroughly cleaned if you eat at your desk and make sure that all food is removed and stored in the kitchen area when you have finished eating. If possible, avoid eating at your desk and use communal eating areas where provided. Avoiding raw, unwashed foods during a norovirus outbreak can also help lower your risk of infection.
4. Prevent the virus spreading by staying away from work if you suspect you have symptoms – which include headaches and vomiting – and do not return until 48 hours after the last symptoms have disappeared. If you go into work, you could pass on the virus to your colleagues