Employee Health & Hygiene Policy
Employees are provided health and hygiene training on the first day of employment and refresher sessions are held once every 2 months, to highlight good practices on farm. Records of the training are kept on the Employee Training Log.
Toilets and hand washing facilities are provided by and maintained/cleaned weekly by an outside 3rd agency or are purchased and maintained by ourselves, but cleaned weekly by an outside agency. The company records its cleaning and replenishing on the maintenance panel found on the inside of the unit. As part of our food safety plan the company has provided us with their standard operating procedure for cleaning and replenishing the unit with proper supplies, including a tested & safe water source for the hand washing station.
Should a field sanitation unit leak or spill, workers will cease operation immediately. Any affected produce will be disposed of through regular disposal avenues typically used by the farming operation for trash removal. All effort will be made to insure the contaminated produce does not enter the food chain. Workers are instructed and expected to report such leaks or spills to their supervisors.
Hand Washing:
All employees handling produce will use proper hand-washing techniques before beginning work and after returning to work from taking breaks, going to the restroom, eating, smoking, or any other time their hands are dirty or potentially contaminated (sneezing into hands, touching blood, etc…).
Proper hand-washing technique includes the following:
Wet hands with clean water, apply soap, and work up a lather.
Rub hands together for at least xx seconds. Cleaning around the nails and between the fingers.
Rinse under clean, running water.
Dry hands with a single-use towel.
There is no eating or chewing food, no chewing gum, no using tobacco, no spitting and no drinking beverages in the crop growing / handling areas.
Workers are excluded from operations if they have diarrhea, an illness or open lesion (boil, sore, infected wound). Workers are instructed and expected to report such health conditions to their supervisors.
Should workers become injured on the job, they must seek first aid help. Injuries include but are not limited to cuts, abrasions or other injuries. A first aid box is present and available for use. Workers are instructed to and expected to report such injuries to their supervisors. Should the produce or food handling contact surfaces come into contact with blood or other body fluids, workers will cease operation immediately. The contaminated food surfaces must be thoroughly cleaned and properly disinfested. Any affected produce will be disposed of through regular disposal avenues typically used by the farming operation for trash removal. All effort will be made to insure the contaminated produce does not enter the food chain.
Date Modified: Sept 15, 2014
This information is provided by CAFF in good faith, but without warranty. It is intended as an educational resource and not as advice tailored to a specific farm operation or a substitute for actual regulations and guidance from FDA or other regulatory agencies. We will not be responsible or liable directly or indirectly for any consequences resulting from use of this document or resources identified in this document.