Fitness to work and personal habits

People can pass illness on through food. If you have vomiting or diarrhoea, tell your manager before you start work. Do not come in and hope to stay away from customers. If you start to feel sick at work, tell your manager at once and leave the food area.

Stay away from food handling until 48 hours after your symptoms stop. This still applies if you feel better sooner, because you may still carry the infection. For example, if your symptoms stopped at 9am on Monday, the earliest you can go back is 9am on Wednesday. Do not hide an illness because the team is short of staff. One person who is ill can pass it to many customers.

Tell your manager about infected wounds, skin conditions and sores too. Cover cuts and sores with a brightly coloured waterproof dressing. A bright colour is easy to see if the dressing falls into food. Many workplaces use blue.

Wear clean clothing at work, and protective clothing where your job needs it. Tie your hair back, and cover it if your workplace asks you to. Keep your nails short and clean. Follow your workplace rules on jewellery. Many allow only a plain band, because jewellery can trap dirt and fall into food.

Do not smoke, vape, eat or chew gum in food areas. Do not cough or sneeze over food. Keep coats, bags and phones away from food and from food surfaces.