Technical reference
Ill food workers are a leading contributing factor in foodborne outbreaks, and is the classic case. Controls depend on people reporting symptoms, so how a business treats someone who reports is itself a food safety control.
In a US CDC review of foodborne outbreaks from 2009 to 2012, a food worker was implicated as the source in 70% of the 520 outbreaks where contributing factors were reported. Bare-hand contact with food was identified in 54% of the outbreaks where a food worker was implicated (MMWR 2014;63(22)).
A later CDC review of outbreaks at US retail food establishments, from 2017 to 2019, found ill or infectious food workers were a factor in 41% of the 500 outbreaks with an identified contributing factor. was the most common (MMWR Surveill Summ 2023;72(SS-6)). These are US data, and reporting methods differ, so treat them as a pattern, not a local rate.
A handler may shed a without knowing, and very small numbers of some pathogens, such as , can cause illness (, cl. 15 guidance). So feeling well is not proof of safety, and hand washing and keeping bare hands off food matter even on good days.
Parameters
| Symptoms to report | Jaundice, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, sore throat with fever, infected skin lesions, discharge from ear, eye or nose ( §12.2) |
|---|---|
| Return after gastroenteritis | Generally 48 hours after symptoms stop (, citing national guidelines). Varies by country |
| Known foodborne disease | Return only on a medical practitioner's advice (Australia, cl. 16) |
| Hand washing | Soap, warm running water, 15 to 30 seconds of scrubbing, single-use towel ( cl. 15; ) |
| Hand sanitiser | Only after washing, never in place of it ( §12.3) |
Records that prove it
- Illness report: who, date, symptoms, duties before reporting
- Exclusion and return date, and who decided it
- Medical clearance where one is required
- Hygiene training and induction records
- Visitor and contractor hygiene briefing
CCP or prerequisite?
That depends on the for your process. The number, if it has one, belongs to your plan.