Basic rules and standards of personal hygiene of a cook

Cook's non-observance of personal hygiene is often the cause of many cases of food poisoning in catering establishments. Therefore, the owners of eateries, cafes and restaurants need to establish constant control so that employees comply with sanitary standards and are responsible for the cooking process.

This article will tell about the basic standards of personal hygiene of the cook and the existing medical requirements for the admission of such an employee to the kitchen. The article will also describe how sanitary control is established for compliance with these rules.

The basic rules of personal hygiene cooks

To avoid negative consequences and prevent food poisoning in a catering establishment, the cook must follow the rules of personal hygiene.

1. A kitchen worker must wash and dry his hands thoroughly before working with food. Hand washing should be repeated regularly throughout the working day.
2. You need to wipe your hands with a clean towel, disposable paper towels or dry under the dryer. Do not use rags, an apron, etc. for these purposes.
3. Chefs are not allowed to chew gum in the workplace or eat food while cooking. For lunch, cooks should be allocated a separate place in the kitchen.
4. Do not cough or sneeze on food while cooking.
5. The chef must wear clean protective clothing (tunic, pants, apron, cap, gloves, etc.).
6. Chefs are prohibited from storing spare clothes and other personal items (including mobile phones) near the storage and cooking areas. For personal items, a special place should be reserved (locker room, personal locker, etc.).
7. Cooks' long hair should always be tied and kept under the hood.
8. Nails should be short.
9. It is worth avoiding wearing jewelry.
10. If the cook has a small wound (cut, burn, etc.) that he received the day before or during the working day, it must be completely covered with a band-aid.
11. In the kitchen, work with products should take place exclusively in disposable rubber gloves, which should be changed as often as possible.
12. If the cook feels unwell during the working day, he should immediately inform the management to prevent the possible spread of viral and infectious diseases inside the establishment.

In general, following such recommendations in the workplace is easy. With a responsible approach, it is they who minimize the possible cases of poisoning.

Medical examinations

Sanitary requirements and personal hygiene of the cook - things are inalienable from each other. So, a kitchen worker should always monitor not only how he washed his hands or which way he sneezed, but also on the general state of his health.

According to Russian standards, cooks must:

• 1 time a year to be examined for confirmation or absence of diseases such as syphilis, tuberculosis, typhoid fever, various intestinal infections;
• 2 times a year to be examined for confirmation or absence of gonorrhea, various sexually transmitted and dermatological diseases.

Data on the passage of examinations and consultations should be entered in a personal health record book. All these measures are necessary in order to prevent epidemics and the spread of serious infectious diseases.

Supervisory Authority

In order to control chefs' compliance with personal hygiene, employees of the sanitary-epidemiological service have the right (within the framework of the current legislation) to conduct inspections and identify violations.

There are a number of requirements for the working conditions of cooks: their appearance, state of health, etc., which guide the regulatory authorities. In order to prevent their violation, the head of the catering establishment should carefully study them and familiarize them with cooks and other kitchen workers.