down, the saliva on the cigarette will then contaminate the work surfaces on which the
cigarette rests. Smoking or the use of tobacco in any form is prohibited in food
preparation areas. A food service facility should designate an area where personnel
can use tobacco. Smokers must wash their hands after smoking and before returning
4-10. HANDLING FOOD
Food service workers should avoid unnecessary hand contact with food.
Whenever possible, food should be handled with clean utensils, such as tongs, scoops,
spoons, or forks. Frequently, food service workers unnecessarily use their hands to
serve foods such as butter slices, ice cubes, and bread. Single-service plastic gloves
should be used when it is necessary to handle food extensively, as in the boning of
4-11. HANDLING EQUIPMENT AND UTENSILS
a. Employees must be careful when handling equipment and utensils. Proper
handling techniques will minimize the contamination of clean utensils and equipment.
These techniques will also prevent soiled utensils and equipment from spreading
b. Handling clean utensils and equipment. Employees should pick up
silverware, cups, glasses, and plates by the handle, the bottom, or the edge.
c. Handling soiled utensils and equipment. Employees should take great care
when bussing tables and when handling soiled napkins, glasses, cups, silverware, and
other utensils. These items may carry disease organisms from customers. Employees
who carelessly handle these soiled articles can pick up microorganisms on their hands.
They will then transfer these microorganisms to their own mouths, to customers by
recontaminating clean utensils and equipment, or to food that will be served to the
customer. For their own and for the customer's protection, employees must handle dirty
utensils and equipment in the same careful way clean utensils are handled.
a. Full-service food facilities have kitchen and refrigeration capabilities. Due to
this, the risk of potentially hazardous foods becoming contaminated is high. Personnel
at full-service facilities must be extremely careful to follow measures to reduce or
prevent contamination. Your job as a preventive medicine specialist inspecting full-
service food facilities is to ensure that employees follow safe food handling procedures