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Effective handwashing is essential to help prevent bacteria and viruses from
spreading to food.
Make sure all staff who work with food wash their hands properly before handling or
preparing food, an allergen-free meal, after handling raw food and before handling
ready-to-eat food. IMPORTANT: effective hand washing takes time.
For a video demonstration, visit the FSA YouTube channel
Step 1:
Wet your hands thoroughly under warm running water and squirt liquid soap onto your palm
Step 2:
Rub your hands together palm to palm to make a lather.
Step 3:
Rub the palm of one hand along the back of the other and along the fingers. Repeat with the other hand.
Step 4:
Put your palms together with fingers interlocked and rub in between each of the fingers thoroughly.
Step 5:
Rub around your thumbs on each hand and then rub the fingertips of each hand against your palms.
Step 6:
Rinse off the soap with clean water and dry your hands thoroughly on a disposable towel. Turn off the tap with the towel and then throw the towel away.
Step 1:
Wet your hands thoroughly under warm running water and squirt liquid soap onto your palm
Step 2:
Rub your hands together palm to palm to make a lather.
Step 3:
Rub the palm of one hand along the back of the other and along the fingers. Repeat with the other hand.
Step 4:
Put your palms together with fingers interlocked and rub in between each of the fingers thoroughly.
Step 5:
Rub around your thumbs on each hand and then rub the fingertips of each hand against your palms.
Step 6:
Rinse off the soap with clean water and dry your hands thoroughly on a disposable towel. Turn off the tap with the towel and then throw the towel away.
For hands to be washed
properly, you need warm
running water, liquid soap and
preferably disposable towels.
Ideally, antibacterial soap
should meet standard BS
EN 1499 for extra protection
against harmful bacteria and
contamination. DO YOU USE LIQUID SOAP?
Do you frequently check and replenish consumables?
Do you check staff frequently wash their hands?
Do You Use Disposable Towels?
Do you use antibacterial soap which
meets standard BS EN 1499?
Yes No If no, what do you use?
Food Standards Agency l food.gov.uk/sfbb
(check the product label)
If you use disposable gloves in your business, they should never be used as an alternative to effective handwashing.
When using disposable gloves make sure you:
• Wash your hands thoroughly before putting them on and after taking them off.
• Always change them regularly, especially between handling raw food and ready-to-eat food.
• Throw them away after use or if damaged.
Hygienic hand rubs and gels can be useful when used as an additional precaution, but should never be used as
a replacement for effective handwashing. If hand rubs or gels are used they should comply with standard BS EN 1500.
If you think a member of staff has not washed their
hands, make sure they wash them straight away and
emphasise how important it is to wash their hands
when working with food.
HOW TO STOP IT HAPPENING AGAIN: • Make sure that hand basins are convenient with plenty
of soap and disposable towels.
• Train staff again on this safe method.
• Improve staff supervision.
Section Break
Effective cleaning is essential to get rid of harmful bacteria and viruses
and to stop them spreading. Cleaning is also important to discourage
pest activity.
Cleaning and disinfection needs to be
carried out in two stages:
1. Clean: Using either hot, soapy water or a
cleaning product (such as a sanitiser), remove
visible dirt, grease and debris from surfaces/
equipment and wipe off or rinse.
2. Disinfect: Following the manufacturer’s
instructions, apply a disinfectant (such as a
sanitiser) all over the surfaces/equipment and
leave on for the required contact time.
WHY? Chemical disinfectants only work
if surfaces have been thoroughly
cleaned first to remove grease and
other dirt.
DO YOU CLEAN AND DISINFECT USING TWO STAGES?
Have your staff been trained in how
to complete the two stage clean?
When using disinfectants or sanitisers, always
follow the manufacturer’s instructions on the
label. These instructions should tell you how
to correctly dilute the product and how long
you need to leave the product on the surface/
equipment for harmful bacteria to be reduced
to safe levels. Sanitisers and disinfectants
should meet relevant standards, either BS EN
1276 or BS EN 13697.
WHY? This is important to make sure that
chemicals work effectively.
Where do you keep information
to confirm your disinfectants or
sanitisers meet BS EN 1276 or BS EN
13697 standards?
It is very important to thoroughly clean and
disinfect surfaces and equipment after use
for raw food, and before preparing ready-to
eat foods. WHY? This will help prevent harmful
bacteria spreading from raw food on
to ready-to-eat food.
SAFETY POINT: Regularly wash/wipe and disinfect all the
items people touch frequently, such as work
surfaces, sinks, taps, door handles, switches,
can openers, cash registers, telephones and
scales.
WHY: This will help prevent dirt and
bacteria being spread to people’s
hands and then to food or
other areas.
Drying naturally helps prevent
bacteria being spread back to
these items on a towel/cloth
used for drying.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU CLEAN AND DISINFECT ITEMS PEOPLE TOUCH FREQUENTLY?
Clean and disinfect fridges regularly at a time
when they do not contain much food. Transfer
food to another fridge or a safe cold area and
keep it covered.
WHY? To clean a fridge thoroughly, you
should take out all the food and keep
it cold somewhere else. If
food is left out at room temperature,
bacteria could grow.
HOW OFTEN DO YOU CLEAN AND DISINFECT FRIDGES?
Ideally use a dishwasher. Do not overload the
dishwasher and make sure it is maintained
and serviced regularly.
If you do not have a dishwasher, wash plates,
equipment, etc, in hot soapy water using
bactericidal detergent.
Ideally, separate sinks should be used for
washing up equipment used for raw foods
and equipment used for ready to eat foods.
If you have to use the same sink, the water
must be changed and the sink (including all
taps/fittings) must be thoroughly cleaned and
disinfected using a two stage clean
between uses. WHY? Dishwashers wash items thoroughly
at a high temperature so this is a
good way to clean equipment and
kill bacteria (disinfect) and remove
allergens. If you overload the
dishwasher, it may not
wash effectively.
Cleaning and disinfecting is
important to prevent bacteria
spreading from raw to
ready-to-eat food.
DO YOU HAVE A DISHWASHER?
If not, do you have separate sinks
for washing up raw and ready-to-eat
equipment/utensils?
If you only have one sink, do you
clean and disinfect it (including taps/
other fittings) using a two stage clean
between uses?
SAFETY POINT: Items that do not touch food are not
as high a priority but they should still
be cleaned effectively. Examples
include dry storage areas and floors.
Take care when cleaning floors so
other surfaces are not contaminated
by splashing.
For equipment or areas that are hard
to clean, you may wish to employ a contract cleaner. WHY? This prevents dirt and bacteria
building up in the kitchen. It also
removes any food which has fallen
on the floor, which can attract
pests e.g. mice and cockroaches.
Contract cleaners have special
equipment and experience of
more difficult cleaning.
Effective cleaning needs to be carried out in two stages. Disinfectants will only work on clean surfaces. Always use a cleaning
product to remove visible dirt and grease before disinfecting. Always check the manufacturer’s instructions for the correct
dilution and contact time for disinfectants or sanitisers.
When you are cleaning, remember to move food out of the way or cover it and to change your protective clothing. This is to
prevent dirt, bacteria or cleaning chemicals from getting onto food.
Fill out the cleaning schedule
in the diary to show how you
manage cleaning in your business.
(See the ‘Your cleaning schedule’ safe method). WHY? This is to make sure that staff know
what to clean, when and how. HAVE YOU COMPLETED THE CLEANING SCHEDULE FROM THE DIARY?
Are you using another cleaning schedule?
Make sure you always have a good supply of cleaning chemicals, materials and equipment. It can be helpful to put a reminder in your diary of when you should buy more.
WHY?
Staff are more likely to clean properly if the right cleaning chemicals, materials and equipment are available.
DO YOU MAKE SURE YOU HAVE A GOOD SUPPLY OF CLEANING PRODUCTS?
If you find that any item in your kitchen is not properly clean, wash and disinfect it and allow it to dry.
HOW TO STOP THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN
.• Review your cleaning schedule, including how you
clean and how often.
• Make sure your cleaning chemicals, materials and
equipment are suitable for the tasks you use them
for and are being used correctly.
• Train staff again on this safe method.
• Improve staff supervision.
RECORD WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHAT YOU DID ABOUT IT EITHER IN YOUR DIARY OR USING YOUR HYGINE ISSUE WARNING FUNCTION.
Section Break
Keeping your kitchen clear and clean makes it safer.
SAFETY POINT:
It is a good idea to take off outer
packaging from food before you bring
food into the kitchen or storeroom.
Remember to check if allergen
information is on the inner packaging
before disposing of the outer packaging
so you can provide accurate information
to your customers.
WHY?
Outer packaging could have touched dirty floors etc. when it has been stored or transported before.
SAFETY POINT
Take extra care with how you throw away packaging and food waste from raw food. If packaging from raw food touches work surfaces make sure you wash and then disinfect them afterwards.
WHY?
Packaging and food waste from these foods are more likely to spread harmful bacteria and allergens to food and surfaces.
SAFETY POINT
Keep your kitchen free from clutter and rubbish. Clear away dirty kitchen equipment as soon as possible.
WHY?
Work surfaces are easier to keep clean when they are not cluttered. It is also important to clear away used equipment to prevent bacteria and allergens spreading from it to surfaces or food.
SAFETY POINT
Keep sinks clear and clean them regularly.
WHY?
This stops dirt building up and helps prevent bacteria and allergens from spreading.
SAFETY POINT
Wash or wipe away spills as soon as they happen. Clean and then disinfect work surfaces after wiping up spills from raw food.
WHY?
This stops dirt building up and helps prevent bacteria and allergens from spreading.
SAFETY POINT
Wash work surfaces thoroughly between tasks. Use a new cloth (or one that has been washed and disinfected) to clean work surfaces before preparing ready-to-eat food.
This will help prevent dirt and bacteria and allergens spreading onto other foods from the surface. A dirty cloth could spread bacteria and allergens to the surface.
‘Clear and clean as you go’ is the recommended way of keeping your kitchen clean as you work. How do you do this?
Managing food waste can help prevent fat, oils and grease from blocking your sinks, pipes and drains. Check with your
Environmental Health Team if there are specific requirements in your area.
SAFETY POINT: Scrape food waste into the bin before washing. Ideally, use a separate bin just for food waste. WHY? This will help prevent food blocking pipes and drains at your business.DO YOU REMOVE LEFT OVER FOOD FROM PLATES BEFORE WASHING?
Use a strainer over the plughole to stop food going down the sink.
WHY?
This will help stop food from blocking your sinks, pipes and drains.
. DO YOU USE STRAINERS IN YOUR SINKS?
SAFETY POINT:
Food waste should be stored in a specific place, away from food preparation, before it is collected. This area should be cleaned and disinfected regularly.
WHY?
Open lids and drainage
holes on external bins can
allow pest access. HOW OFTEN IS FOOD WASTE COLLECTED AT YOUR BUSINESS?
Do you have a specific place for food waste?
Do you clean and disinfect this area regularly?
• If you find that work surfaces or equipment are not properly
clean, wash, disinfect and dry them before using them to
prepare food.
• If you find any packaging or waste lying around, throw it
away immediately and clean and then disinfect the work
surface thoroughly.
• If sinks, pipes or drains get blocked check food is being
scraped into bins before washing and that strainers are being used.
HOW TO STOP THIS HAPPENING AGAIN:
• Review your clearing and cleaning practices.
• Review staffing levels.
• Consider changing the order/timing of tasks to make it
easier to keep surfaces clear and clean.
• Train staff again on this safe method.
• Improve staff supervision.
RECORD WHAT WENT WRONG AND WHAT YOU DID ABOUT IT EITHER IN YOUR DIARY OR USING YOUR HYGINE ISSUE WARNING FUNCTION.
Section Break
A cleaning schedule is a useful tool to help you effectively clean
regularly in your business.
WHAT TO DO:
You can use the cleaning schedule supplied in the diary to write down how and when you clean in your business.
Alternatively, you may already have a cleaning schedule. If so, you can continue to use it, but it is a good idea to
review this safe method and compare with your schedule to make sure that it covers the right things.
It is important to write down how you do your cleaning, so you can show what you do. It is also useful for staff to be
able to check how they should clean things, so you may wish to put your cleaning schedule on the wall.
REMEMBER daily, weekly and monthly cleaning schedule reports are available with your Chefsbk.
