ServSafe Certification Personal Hygiene Practices 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A food handler has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A. What action must their manager take?
- Move the employee to a non-food-contact position
- Exclude the employee from the operation (Correct answer)
- Require the employee to wear double gloves
- Allow the employee to work if they feel well
Correct answer: Exclude the employee from the operation
Hepatitis A is a regulatory authority-listed illness that requires the food handler to be excluded from the operation entirely.
Question 2: What is the difference between excluding and restricting a food handler?
- Exclusion means no work allowed; restriction means no food-contact work allowed (Correct answer)
- Restriction means no work allowed; exclusion means no food-contact work allowed
- They mean the same thing under ServSafe
- Exclusion applies only to managers; restriction applies to hourly staff
Correct answer: Exclusion means no work allowed; restriction means no food-contact work allowed
Exclusion removes the worker from the operation completely; restriction limits them to non-food-contact tasks.
Question 3: A food handler reports sore throat with fever. Under what condition may they work with food?
- If they take fever-reducing medication
- If they are serving a primarily healthy population (Correct answer)
- They must be excluded whenever they have sore throat with fever
- If they wear gloves and a mask
Correct answer: If they are serving a primarily healthy population
A food handler with sore throat and fever may work with food only if the operation primarily serves a non-high-risk population; otherwise they must be restricted.
Question 4: Which of the following is NOT one of the Big 6 pathogens that require exclusion under ServSafe?
- Salmonella Typhi
- Norovirus
- Listeria monocytogenes (Correct answer)
- Shiga toxin-producing E. coli
Correct answer: Listeria monocytogenes
Listeria monocytogenes is a serious pathogen but is not among the Big 6 (Norovirus, Hepatitis A, Salmonella Typhi, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Shigella, and Nontyphoidal Salmonella) that require mandatory exclusion.
Question 5: When can a food handler who was excluded for Norovirus return to work?
- After 24 hours without symptoms
- After 48 hours without vomiting or diarrhea (Correct answer)
- After receiving written clearance from a medical professional
- After completing a full course of antibiotics
Correct answer: After 48 hours without vomiting or diarrhea
A food handler excluded for Norovirus may return after being symptom-free (no vomiting or diarrhea) for at least 48 hours.
Question 6: A food handler has an infected cut on their hand that is draining. What is the correct response?
- Cover it with a bandage and glove and continue working
- Restrict or exclude them depending on where they work in the operation (Correct answer)
- Allow them to handle only packaged foods
- Send them home immediately regardless of the cut's location
Correct answer: Restrict or exclude them depending on where they work in the operation
An infected, draining wound may require restriction from food-contact work or full exclusion depending on the role and wound severity.
Question 7: Which symptom alone is grounds for immediate exclusion from a food operation?
- Mild headache
- Runny nose
- Jaundice (Correct answer)
- Fatigue
Correct answer: Jaundice
Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) is a symptom of Hepatitis A and requires immediate exclusion from the food operation.
ServSafe Certification Personal Hygiene Practices 3
A food handler has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A.
What action must their manager take?