food safety hygiene

Handwashing

Rinse, soap, vigorous rub, thorough rinse, thorough drying, in that order.

9 steps7 criticalLimit 1 minAlways tested

Steps

1Critical stepGo to a handwashing sink (not a food-prep, warewashing or service sink) and rinse your hands and exposed arms under clean, running warm water
2Critical stepApply the amount of soap the soap maker recommends
3Critical stepRub your hands together vigorously for at least 10 to 15 seconds; the whole wash, rinse to dry, takes at least 20 seconds
4Critical stepWhile rubbing, work on the soil under your fingernails and create friction on your hands, arms, fingertips and between your fingers
5Critical stepRinse thoroughly under clean, running warm water
6Dry your hands and arms thoroughly right away with a single-use paper towel, a continuous towel or an air dryer
7To avoid recontaminating clean hands, use a paper towel (a clean barrier) to turn off a hand-operated faucet and to open the restroom door
8Critical stepIf you use disposable towels, put the used paper towel in the waste receptacle at the sink
9Wash again at every required time: right before food prep, after touching bare skin, using the toilet room, coughing, sneezing, using tobacco, eating or drinking, after handling soiled equipment, when switching from raw to ready-to-eat food, before putting on gloves, and after any other activity that contaminates your hands

Tips

The Food Code counts the whole cleaning procedure as at least 20 seconds; the vigorous rubbing part is 10 to 15 of those seconds, not the whole 20.
Fingernails hold the most microbes on the hand, so give them extra attention every wash.
Wet hands pass germs more easily than dry hands, so finish the job: dry thoroughly and use a towel as a barrier on faucet and door handles.

Counting 20 seconds of lather and skipping or shortening the rinse and dry stages.
Skipping the fingernails.
Drying poorly or on a dirty cloth, apron or clothing.
Touching the faucet or restroom door handle with clean bare hands.

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.