Are you aware that washing your hands properly can prevent 1 in 3 diarrheal illnesses and 1 in 5 respiratory infections like the common cold or the flu? Handwashing most especially, is important when handling food and at other times when you are likely to get and spread germs. Protect yourself and your family by washing your hands at these key times:
- Before eating
- Before, during, and after preparing food
- After touching garbage
- Before and after treating a cut or wound
- After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing into your hands
- After using the restroom or changing a diaper
- Before and after caring for someone who is sick
Handwashing While Cooking
USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service conducted a study in which they observed participants cooking in a test kitchen. Participants failed to wash their hands or washed them incorrectly over 95 percent of the time they should have. Nearly half of the participants cross-contaminated spice containers because they didn’t wash their hands adequately.
It’s always important to wash your hands before, during, and after preparing any food and after touching raw meat, poultry, seafood, or eggs. Your hands can spread germs around your kitchen and to other foods. Washing your hands often and correctly while you’re cooking can help prevent cross-contamination.
Five Handwashing Steps
Below are 5 safety tips for handwashing to prevent contamination, keep you and your environment healthy:
- Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), turn off the faucet, and apply soap.
- Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.
- Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds. If you hum the “Happy Birthday” song twice from beginning to end, that’s about 20 seconds!
- Lather your hands by rubbing them together with soap. Lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails
- Dry your hands with a clean towel or air dry them.
In situations where there is no soap or water, a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol should be used. While working in the kitchen it is advisable to make use of soap and water as sanitizers cannot fully get rid of germs. and they may not be as effective when your hands are visibly dirty or greasy.
Our food hygiene and safety training reduce the chances of food contamination or food poisoning, protecting both the public and companies’ reputation. It also covers Food safety-policies, guidelines and national laws of the occupational safety and health dept.
for more information, visit our website: www.foodsafety.org.ng or www.safetycentre.ng
Email: lois@safetycentre.ng
RCL safety centre