Worker Health and Hygiene

People can carry pathogens in and on their bodies and clothes, and those pathogens can easily be transmitted to fruits and vegetables.

One of the simplest and most effective ways to reduce this risk is for everyone who works around produce to practice good hygiene. Good hygiene includes properly washing hands at appropriate times, wearing clean clothing, and in some cases wearing special clothing like disposable gloves or hairnets.

Another practice that effectively reduces the spread of disease is to be sure that anyone handling or working near produce is not sick with a pathogen that could cause a foodborne illness. Farm owners and managers reduce risks by developing health and hygiene policies, supplying and maintaining toilet and hand-washing facilities, explaining the rules to everyone who works with produce, and setting a good example for everyone by following those rules themselves.

Use the resources below to learn about proper hygiene, symptoms of foodborne illness, and appropriate toilet and hand-washing facilities. Find resources to help train workers, and download or order signs that remind people to wash their hands and follow other proper hygiene practices.​

Resources   Title Link Institution or Agency  : :  ‎(3) Food Safety Begins on the Farm A Grower Self Assessment of Food Safety Risks Link Cornell University Farm Food Safety Decision Tree Project Link Cornell Kansas State Food-A-Syst: A Food Safety Risk Management Guide for the Producer Link Kansas State University  : : Health and Hygiene ‎(8) FDA Employee Health and Personal Hygiene Handbook Link FDA Food Safety Hazards in Foodservice and Food Retail Establishments. Personal hygiene, temperature controls, etc., pdf Purdue University Hand Hygiene and Hand Sanitizers pdf University of Florida Farm Worker Health and Hygiene pdf Cornell University Hand and Dish washing information sheet pdf Indiana State Department of Health How to build a field hand washing station in 10 easy steps for under $20 pdf University of Minnesota Agricultural Health and Safety Program Handwashing and Drying Procedures For Food Employees pdf Indiana Department of Health How to Handwash? pdf World Health Organization  : : Sanitation ‎(1) NSF Product and Service Listings Link National Sanitation Foundation Compliance Details javascript:commonShowModalDialog('{SiteUrl}/_layouts/itemexpiration.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}', 'center:1;dialogHeight:500px;dialogWidth:500px;resizable:yes;status:no;location:no;menubar:no;help:no', function GotoPageAfterClose(pageid){if(pageid == 'hold') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/hold.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;} if(pageid == 'audit') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/Reporting.aspx?Category=Auditing&backtype=item&ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;} if(pageid == 'config') {STSNavigate(unescape(decodeURI('{SiteUrl}'))+'/_layouts/expirationconfig.aspx?ID={ItemId}&List={ListId}'); return false;}}, null); return false; 0x0 0x1 ContentType 0x01 898