Food handlers have the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the meals they prepare for customers, which means adhering to food safety guidelines and following proper hygiene procedures.
Hand washing is an integral step in this process and if your jewelry – particularly chunky rings – remains on your hand or wrist it prevents you from doing this effectively.
Rings
What jewelry may food handlers wear while working in food businesses? With certain exceptions, food handlers are not permitted to wear jewelry such as rings, bracelets and watches that pose both food safety risks as well as potential choking hazards while working. These pieces should also not contain metal components which could tarnish over time and pose potential choking hazards.
Rings
Food handlers are only allowed to wear plain band rings without grooves, embossing, or engraving that could collect bacteria and microorganisms. Earrings or any form of stud jewelry is strictly prohibited due to it often becoming debris in food preparation processes and becoming potential choking hazards.
As food handlers often wear necklaces during their workday, any jewelry must be properly secured to avoid breaking off and falling into their work environment, posing a potential choking or cutting risk to themselves and other workers. Necklaces: When Wearing One for Food Handling When it comes to necklaces worn while handling food, food handlers are permitted to wear necklaces that fit securely to their bodies in order to protect both themselves and others who could become exposed during food preparation processes. Choking injuries include cuts or slits or even cuts or even cuts or chokes on their work surface if left unsecured when using any type of chain or pendant from detaching from falling off and falling onto food being prepared, which could potentially result in cuts, slits or even choked injuries or cuts resulting in cuts, slits or even worse injuries due to falling jewelry parts falling onto food being prepared which could result in cuts, slits or even choked injuries from coming in contact with food being prepared by food handlers themselves due to chains breaking off and falling into their food preparation areas which could result in cuts slits or choked injuries from parts falling off falling onto food being prepared resulting in cuts, slits resulting cuts slits or even cuts or choked injuries from falling into products being prepared causing cuts/slits injuries due to falls which could result from cutting/choking injuries from food produced due to falling into preparation equipment being cut-injuring injuries from falling into it being produced as it being prepared being exposed from cut resulting from cuts/ choking injuries occurring from falling into being released into food being prepared, leading to cuts/choking injuries occurring due to falling into being introduced from them falling onto food being prepared being then into food being prepared leading into food being prepared resulting into it! Choking injuries occurring.
Bracelets While some employers allow employees to wear wedding band bracelets while they work, these should be secured using gloves used when handling food as their wear can rip through and potentially contaminate it.
Watches
Food handlers who work in food service environments must not wear stainless steel watches because they can pose a risk to food safety and may cause choking incidents. Only round-faced, plain watches may be worn by food handlers.
Food handlers are not permitted to wear jewelry that could pose a choking hazard, such as identification bracelets or necklaces that indicate medical conditions and any accessory which might present a potential choking hazard.
Nails
Food handlers may wear short nails while working, provided that the nail is kept neatly trimmed and cleaned regularly to reduce snags or tears in their gloves and reduce its risk of chipping into food being prepared. This also lessens its chances of falling into food preparation when working.
Beards
Food handlers are not permitted to wear beards while working, as their beard may snag on gloves and potentially contaminate food being handled. Long or unkempt beards must first be trimmed back before being worn during the day.
The Food and Drug Administration advises against wearing beards during work hours as it can snag and irritate food handling gloves and the skin around the beard, leading to dry and flaky patches of skin around it.
Not only can they easily tear or snag gloves and contaminate food being prepared, they can also obstruct handwashing – making it harder to prevent cross-contamination – and limit access to hand antiseptic solutions, which are essential for effective handwashing.