Personal Hygiene - Proper Handwashing (Benjamin)

Written by: Benjamin Sng
Your personal hygiene plays a critical role when handling food. Without proper hygiene, you may face the possibility of contaminating your food with bacteria. Present on your hands are billions of bacteria that cannot be seen with the naked eye. Below is an example of how your hand would look like if bacteria could be seen.

Source: http://hdimagelib.com/germs+on+hands

To practice good personal hygiene, one should follow these 8 simple steps to washing your hands.
1. Wash palm to palm.
2. Between fingers.
3. Back of hands.
4. Base of thumbs.
5. Back of fingers.
6. Fingernails.
7. Wrists.
8. Rinse off soap and wipe dry.
Below is a simple illustration of how these steps can be carried out.

Source: http://eapmalaysia.blogspot.sg/2013/06/washing-hands.html

Washing hands well is a very important step in ensuring no contamination occurs. What could happen? Studies have shown that about 15-40% of healthy humans are carriers of Staphylococcus Aureus which is a naturally occurring bacteria commonly found on skin especially around open wounds. Should your food products be contaminated with S. Aureus, consumers may face the risk of infection and food poisoning. Another possible cause of food poisoning would be Dysentery which occurs when germs are picked up by unwashed hands and transferred to consumables.
Playing such an important role in food safety, how can one properly learn hand washing? There is a product commonly used for hygiene training - Glo Germ™. It mimics the appearance of bacteria when poured onto hands and viewed under a black light and is easily removed with thorough hand washing. Below is an example of the product in action.

Source: http://www.hometrainingtools.com/a/glo-germ-projects

In conclusion, proper hand washing is the basic essential of every food handler and non-food handlers alike. All you need to do is take 8 simple steps and you can greatly lower the chances of contaminating your food and harming your guests. I strongly encourage everyone to instill this practice upon entering the kitchen before beginning any tasks.