Personal illness and exclusion from work
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Guidelines for Food Handlers on Infections and Exclusion
Legal Requirements for Food Handlers
Understand the legal obligations concerning infections in food businesses:
- No person with a disease likely to be transmitted through food or with infected wounds, skin infections, sores, or diarrhoea should handle food or enter food-handling areas.
- Report any illness or symptoms immediately to the manager if likely to come into contact with food.
- Such individuals are commonly referred to as food handlers.
Risks of Disease Transmission
Learn about the risks of disease transmission through food handling:
- Bacteria causing gastrointestinal illness can spread through faeces or vomit, particularly when a person has diarrhoea and vomiting.
- Viruses can survive on food and spread via contaminated hands or airborne particles, leading to outbreaks.
- Parasitic worms and protozoa can also infect through faecal contamination.
Management Responsibilities
Responsibilities of managers regarding exclusion and management of infected food handlers:
- Exclude any person with stomach/gut infections or unmanageable skin infections from food handling duties.
- Exclude period is usually 48 hours after symptoms cease.
- Consider the nature of duties, food processes, and vulnerable consumers when making exclusion decisions.
Exclusion Criteria and Exceptions
Criteria for excluding food handlers and exceptions based on symptoms:
- Exclude individuals with infectious symptoms until 48 hours after symptoms cease, except for non-infective causes like morning sickness or certain medical conditions.
- Continue exclusion if symptoms persist or return within the 48-hour period.
Non-Infective Causes of Symptoms
Examples of non-infective causes where exclusion may not be necessary:
- Morning sickness, certain medications, bowel inflammation, irritable bowel syndrome, and dietary causes.
- Use caution and medical advice to determine if symptoms are non-infective.
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