food safety hygiene
Glove Use
Gloves are a barrier only while they are intact, clean and used for one task.
9 steps5 criticalLimit 1 minAlways tested
Steps
- 1Critical stepDo not touch ready-to-eat food with bare hands; use deli tissue, spatulas, tongs, dispensing equipment or single-use gloves
- 2Wash your hands before putting on gloves
- 3Choose single-use gloves for the task; weigh latex allergy risk first, since latex-free types such as nitrile, vinyl and polyethylene exist
- 4Critical stepDo not use a torn or damaged glove
- 5Critical stepUse one pair of gloves for one task only, such as ready-to-eat food or raw animal food, and for nothing else
- 6Discard gloves when they are damaged or soiled, when the work is interrupted, and before starting a different task
- 7Critical stepChange gloves at least every 4 hours of continuous use, as state health department guidance (MN, ND) advises; the Food Code text sets no interval
- 8Never wash and reuse single-use gloves; throw them away
- 9Wash your hands before putting on a new pair; gloves do not replace handwashing
What graders are watching for
Tips
- Gloves are a barrier only while they stay clean and intact. A glove used for raw chicken and then for salad can spread germs between the foods.
- A utensil can replace a glove: tongs, spatulas and deli tissue also prevent bare-hand contact.
- Latex gloves can cause allergic reactions in wearers and in people eating the food, so weigh latex-free options such as nitrile, vinyl or polyethylene.
Common mistakes
- Putting gloves on over unwashed hands.
- Wearing the same pair from raw chicken to salad.
- Continuing after a tear, soiling or interruption.
- Washing gloves to reuse them.
Practice this skill
Practise the sequence in the app with critical-step highlighting and a rationale for each step.
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Sources and how we check them: How we verify.