(1) CLEANLINESS.
(a) Persons engaged in food processing shall
maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness, and shall observe good hygienic
practices during all working periods. Persons engaged in food processing shall
wash their hands before beginning work and upon returning to work after using
toilet facilities, eating, smoking, or engaging in other activities which may
contaminate the hands. Persons engaged in food processing shall keep their
fingernails clean and neatly trimmed, and shall not wear fingernail polish
unless they wear sanitary gloves at all times when handling food.
(b) Paragraph (a) does not apply to an
operator of a maple sap concentration facility licensed to operate a food
processing plant that is required to meet the provisions of s.
ATCP 87.28.
(2) HAND CONTACT WITH FOOD.
(a) Except as provided in par. (d),
individuals engaged in food processing or handling may not contact ready-to-eat
food with their bare hands but shall use suitable food handling aids such as
deli-tissue, spatulas, tongs, single-use gloves, or dispensing equipment to
avoid bare-hand contact.
(b) If
used, finger cots or gloves shall be:
1. Made
of impermeable materials, except where the use of such material is
inappropriate or incompatible with the work being done.
2. Sanitized at least twice daily or more
often if necessary.
3. Properly
stored until used.
4. Maintained in
a clean, intact, and sanitary condition prior to use.
(c) Hands shall be washed prior to putting on
gloves, and upon changing gloves if the person wearing the gloves will be
performing a different function or if the gloves are being replaced because
hands have become soiled or contaminated due to failure of glove
integrity.
(d) Individuals may
contact ready-to-eat food with their bare hands if that contact is reasonably
necessary, and does not contaminate food. The individuals shall be trained in,
and shall follow, written policies and procedures to ensure safe use of bare
hands. The policies and procedures shall identify all of the following:
1. The individuals or positions authorized to
contact ready-to-eat food with bare hands.
2. The specific tasks for which bare-hand
contact is authorized.
3. The types
of ready-to-eat food that may be contacted with bare hands.
4. The procedures that authorized individuals
are required to follow in order to prevent food contamination from bare-hand
contact.
(e) The
operator shall provide prior training on procedures and policies that cover
pars. (a) to (d) to all individuals who may contact ready-to-eat food with
their bare hands. The operator shall have a written training plan that
identifies all of the following:
1. The
individuals or positions responsible for implementing the training, maintaining
training records, and ensuring compliance with training requirements.
2. The content of the training, including the
written procedures required under par. (d).
3. The form of initial training, and the form
and frequency of follow-up training, if any.
4. Monitoring and control procedures to
ensure that individuals are trained before they contact ready-to-eat food with
bare hands.
5. Procedures to
evaluate training effectiveness.
(f) The operator shall review the training
program under par. (e) at least annually.
(g) The operator shall maintain records to
document compliance with this subsection. Records shall be retained for at
least one year after they are made, and shall be available to the department
for inspection and copying upon request.
(3) CLOTHING AND JEWELRY. Persons in food
processing areas or handling unpackaged food shall wear clean, washable outer
garments and effective hair restraints, including effective hair restraints for
beards longer than 1/2 inch. Hair restraints may include hair nets, caps, and
snoods, but do not include hairsprays, visors, or headbands. Persons working in
food processing areas or handling unpackaged food shall remove all jewelry from
their hands, fingers, and arms before having any direct manual contact with
food or food contact surfaces. Jewelry shall not be worn in any part of the
body in a manner which creates a risk of food contamination. This subsection
does not apply to plain band wedding rings.
(4) EMPLOYEE HEALTH. No person who, by
medical examination or supervisory observation, has or is reasonably suspected
of having any of the following conditions may work in a food processing plant
in any capacity that may result in the contamination of food, or in the
contamination of equipment or utensils used to process or handle food:
(a) One or more reportable symptoms of
communicable disease as defined in ch. ATCP 75 Appendix, 2-201.11
(A).
(b) One or more symptoms of an
acute gastrointestinal illness.
(c)
A discharging or open wound, sore, or lesion on the hands, arms, or other
exposed portions of the body.
(5) FOOD CONTAMINATION. No person who has
received a reportable diagnosis of communicable disease, as defined in ch. ATCP
75 Appendix, part 2-201.11 (A) (2), may work in a food processing plant in any
capacity that may contaminate food products.
(6) CONSUMPTION OF FOOD, BEVERAGES, AND
TOBACCO. No person may consume food, beverages, or tobacco in any food
processing area, or in any area where food processing equipment or utensils are
cleaned or stored. Employees may not consume food, beverages, or tobacco except
in designated areas which are separated from food processing areas. This
subsection does not prohibit a sanitary water fountain in a processing area,
nor does it prohibit on-line quality control sampling in accordance with
quality control procedures written and followed by the license
holder.
