The Abu Dhabi Authority for Agriculture and Food Safety has warned of the risk of complacency for food and catering facilities workers in using personal protective equipment and wearing protective clothing, especially headgear, masks and gloves, in addition to beard covers.
The authority stressed - in a guide issued recently, on "safe handling of food" - the necessity of the commitment of officials and workers of food establishments and restaurants to the cleanliness of work clothes always, as it is a potential source of transmission of the infection with the emerging coronavirus (Covid 19), stressing the need to wash Clothes intended to work at temperatures above 60 degrees, or left in a closed bag for three days, then washed as normal.
In detail, the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority stressed the importance of not tolerating the use of personal protective equipment and wearing protective clothing among workers in food establishments, such as stores, restaurants and malls, including headgear, gloves and masks, warning against the negligence of some of the facility workers, especially food. , To wear beard caps.
The authority stressed - in a guide issued yesterday, on "safe handling of food" - the necessity of catering workers and food establishments changing their hand gloves frequently, while committing to hand washing between changing gloves and when removing them, noting the importance Workers should realize that wearing gloves can allow germs to accumulate on the surface of the hands. Hence, washing hands is very important when removing gloves to avoid contamination of food, in addition to the need not to touch the mouth, nose and eyes when wearing gloves.
The authority stated that hand washing is a very important issue for workers in food establishments, whether gloves are used or not. In the case of using gloves, hands must be washed before wearing them, and between changing them and after removing them, explaining that wearing gloves for a long time, without frequent change and washing For hands, germs multiply rapidly on the skin, due to the warm and moist environment of gloves, and if they are torn or removed and food is handled without washing hands, this can cause large numbers of germs to be transferred to food.
The authority called on food establishment officials to ensure that workers are aware and aware of what needs to be done towards commitment to social separation, by setting additional controls such as reducing the number of workers in the kitchen or food preparation area at all times, creating additional space if possible in the workplace and preparation area Food, determining the number of people (delivery drivers, workers, customers) who can enter the facility, marking the spacing in areas of receiving orders such as signs on floors, and sterilizing and cleaning workplaces with cleaning materials approved by the competent authorities such as the Emirates Authority for Standardization and Metrology.
The authority emphasized the necessity of the commitment of food establishments officials to train food handlers in preventive procedures and cleaning and sterilization mechanisms, in addition to educating workers and customers (customers) of the importance of social separation using various means, such as broadcasting voice messages or using different lanes for entry and exit.
The authority urged the officials and workers of the food and restaurant establishments to always adhere to the cleanliness of the clothes designated for work (work uniforms), as it is a potential source of transmission, stressing the need to wash the clothes intended for work at temperatures above 60 degrees, or sterile use if it cannot be washed At high temperatures.
She said: “As a good practice, it is recommended to wash clothes intended for work in a specialized (laundry) store, and if it is not possible to wash them immediately, they can be left in a closed bag for three days, and then wash them as usual.” Noting that if the recommendations for washing custom clothes cannot be followed To work, new work clothes must be provided.
15 cases that require hand washing
The Abu Dhabi Authority for Agriculture and Food Safety has identified in the guide, 15 cases with which the worker must wash hands, namely “upon arrival at work, when entering any food service area, before eating any food, after coming into contact with anything that may have been contaminated by Customers (customers), employees, or delivery drivers, after touching surfaces (such as handrails and door handles), after using sanitation, after touching the face, sneezing, or coughing, among all work tasks ».
It also included the cases followed by hand washing "after performing any cleaning operation, after smoking, after opening packages, circulating cash, receipts and cleaning supplies, after removing gloves and aprons and before wearing new ones, at any time the worker’s hands are contaminated, and finally after touching garbage."