KHADIJA NAUMAN L1F20BSFT0052 INTRODUCTION Sanitation refers to public health conditions related to clean drinking water and treatment and disposal of human excreta and sewage. Preventing human contact with feces is part of sanitation, as is hand washing with soap. Sanitation systems aim to protect human health by providing a clean environment that will stop the transmission of disease, especially through the fecal–oral route. For example, diarrhea, a main cause of malnutrition and stunted growth in children, can be reduced through adequate sanitation. There are many other diseases which are easily transmitted in communities that have low levels of sanitation, such as ascariasis (a type of intestinal worm infection or helminthiasis), cholera, hepatitis, polio, schistosomiasis, and trachoma, to name just a few Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases. “Personal hygiene refers to maintaining the body's cleanliness. Hygiene activities can be grouped into the following: home and everyday hygiene, personal hygiene, medical hygiene, sleep hygiene and food hygiene. Home and every day hygiene includes hand washing, respiratory hygiene, food hygiene at home, hygiene in the kitchen, hygiene in the bathroom, laundry hygiene and medical hygiene at home. Many people equate hygiene with 'cleanliness,' but hygiene is a broad term. It includes such personal habit choices as how frequently to take a shower or bath, wash hands, trim fingernails, and wash clothes. It also includes attention to keeping surfaces in the home and workplace clean, including bathroom facilities. Some regular hygiene practices may be considered good habits by the society, while the neglect of hygiene can be considered disgusting, disrespectful, or threatening Fig.no.basic introduction to food hygiene and safety NECESSITY FOR PERSONAL HYGIENE personal hygiene is necessary for everybody but more so for the food handlers because the health and well-being of hundreds of people in their hands. a careless food handler could be responsible for the spread of an epidemic. it is the duty of every caterer to ensure that personal hygiene is a habit for all food handlers. the caterer is legally responsible for the wholesomeness of food supplied. It is also the moral obligation of every caterer to ensure the food is prepared and served hygienically. Sanitation codes call for a high degree of personal cleanliness for all employees in food establishments. Workers can spread infection knowingly by working when they are ill and infect others workers and consumers directly or indirectly. Sometimes health workers spread disease by cross contamination. They carry microorganism from an infected area to one that previously have no harmful microorganisms. In some cases the infected person does not does not show any visible signs or symptoms of the disease. Such persons are called carriers and they unknowingly spread disease producing organisms which they carry in their bodies. They are the most dangerous of all food handlers as it is very difficult to trace the source of infection in such cases. Hence it can be realized that food poisoning does not just happen it is always caused and the cause is carelessness on the part of the human being. It is estimated that 50% of all food handlers carry microorganisms that can be transmitted to food. For these reasons personal hygiene is very necessary and should be practiced by every food handler. SANITARIAN Sanitarian An environmental health specialist, is employed in environmental health and conducts research or performs investigations for the purpose of identifying, diminishing, and/or eliminating sources of pollutants and hazards that affect either the environment or the health of the population. A food service sanitarian performs inspections on facilities that serve and prepare food for public consumption to ensure that proper safety precautions and procedures are being utilized. Careful selection and training of sanitation personnel is of very utmost significance in food processing industry. an important role of sanitarian is to organize and conduct proper training of sanitation personnel. in large plants sanitarian looks after the tasks of hygiene programme which includes pre-employment examination, education of employees and training in basic attitudes and habits of sound personal hygiene. the major problem is maintaining plant sanitation arise from the human errors this is therefore a major responsibility of sanitarian that he provides proper knowledge to the workers of that processing plant in order to avoid any of the issues created PRE EMPLOYMENT MEDICAL EXAMINATION OF EMPLOYEES The pre-employment medical examination is part of the employment process and may include a drug test and/or a physical examination. This is ordinarily the last thing a person must have before starting a new job. While administered to assure safety in the workplace, care must be taken to avoid using the information for discriminatory purposes. The pre-employment medical examination is often part of the employment process and can include a drug test as well as a complete physical examination. This is usually the last hurdle a worker must pass before officially being hired in a job. The examination is primarily used for safety in the workplace. It often happens that the individual may not be aware of a certain condition, and the examination brings this to his or her attention. It enables that person to take necessary steps to correct health concerns and prevents employers from unknowingly putting the new employee or existing employees in danger.so there are medical departments in food industry for giving first aid and emergency care for the injured workers and arrange medical pre recruitment. HEALTH OF STAFF a sick worker is not only a source of infection but being unwell is likely to take less care in handling food .All staff employed in food preparation and service area should be in state of good health. Working in a catering establishment means working long hours. The work may involve heavy physical exertion and mental tension and meal timings may be irregular. Workers may have to lift heavy loads work in hot steamy kitchens and constantly be on their feet during working hours. They need to be active and alert. for this the mind and body must be in best possible health, good health is not only the absence of the disease , it does not depends on the persons height and weight but means that both body and mind are in excellent condition, free from illness or tension and should be capable of making spot decisions and handling crises situations. to achieve all of this it is necessary for the employer to ensure good health and safe working conditions for all the employees by ob serving the following: 1. It is compulsory to have a detailed medical checkup at time of recruitment. recent history of any illness should be known before employing a worker. all food service workers should be free from any infection that is likely to be transmitted 2. Medical checkups every six months and a checkup following a severe illness especially one related to the gastro-intestinal tract, should be done . the cot for this should be borne by the employer 3. periodic deworming [six monthly] and necessary inoculation [ typhoid,tetanus,etc] should be ensured 4. . all illnesses should be reported to the management and ill workers should be kept away from food during that period 5. personal cleanliness of employees in terms of general appearance, uniforms, hands and fingernails, should be checked discreetly 6. Sanitary accommodation i.e. water closets and urinals for males and WCs for females with sanitary bins should be provided. restrooms and lockers used by employees should be inspected for cleanliness 7. . a nutritious and wholesome meal should be provided while on duty in a separate room designed for this purpose 8. The work area should be planned in such a way that accidents like falls, cuts and burns are prevented from occurring while at work. the workers should also be trained in proper methods of work. 9. Work hours should be 48 hours a week . this may be in shifts 10. a weekly off is compulsory The employer should realize the importance of good health and help the employee in maintaining it . good health and the right attitude towards work increases work efficiency and productivity and this in turn increases the profits of the establishments Fig.no. Employee safety in food industry REFERENCES 1. https://www.workplacetesting.com/definition/21/pre-employment-medical-examination 2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene 3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanitation
