Proper Hand Hygiene

The importance of hand hygiene cannot be understated. Many times daily, the average person interacts with objects that have been handled by other people, potentially passing along anything from the common cold and influenza to E.coli and blood-borne diseases like Hepatitis A. Certain types of workers can be origin vectors for spreading these pathogens, so food service and healthcare workers have to take special care with hand hygiene.

Hand Sanitizers

• Alcohol-based hand sanitizers were developed for the health care industry, in order to quickly sterilize hands after contact with blood or other bodily fluids. These hand sanitizers aren't necessary and their overuse is considered detrimental, because overzealous disinfection also destroys helpful bacteria that help skin resist infection and pathogenic invasion.

Using Sanitary Gloves

• For food service, cross contamination is usually transmitted by hands. Using sanitary, examination-style gloves when handling meat, then discarding them keeps pathogens off the hands when handling fruits and vegetables.

Properly Washing Hands

• To properly wash your hands use water as hot as you can stand. Antibacterial soap should be lathered on the hands for 15-30 seconds, then rinsed off and dried off with an air dryer or disposable paper towels. This formula is appropriate in almost every normal situation.

Avoiding Bad Habits

• Dirt and pathogens can get under fingernails very easily, so it's best to keep your fingernails trimmed and clean. Any open cuts on the hands should be bandaged. Nail-biters are especially at risk of getting sick from hand-to-mouth transmission of microbes.