ServSafe Personal Hygiene and Health 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When must a food handler wash their hands?
- Only before starting work and after restroom use
- Before and after handling raw meat, after restroom use, after touching their face, and before gloving (Correct answer)
- Only when hands are visibly dirty
- Once an hour during their shift
Correct answer: Before and after handling raw meat, after restroom use, after touching their face, and before gloving
Handwashing is required at multiple critical points throughout the shift.
Required points include: before starting work, after restroom use, before and after raw proteins, after touching the body, after sneezing or coughing, after eating or smoking, after handling garbage or chemicals, and before gloving.
Question 2: What is the minimum time a food handler should scrub their hands with soap?
- 5 seconds
- 10 seconds
- 20 seconds (Correct answer)
- 60 seconds
Correct answer: 20 seconds
The FDA Food Code requires scrubbing for at least 20 seconds to effectively remove pathogens.
The 20-second scrubbing requirement removes transient microorganisms. The complete procedure takes 40-60 seconds including wetting, soaping, scrubbing, rinsing, and drying.
Question 3: A food handler has an infected cut on their finger. What should they do?
- Continue working since the cut is small
- Cover with a bandage and wear a single-use glove over it (Correct answer)
- Take the day off regardless of severity
- Apply ointment and keep working without a glove
Correct answer: Cover with a bandage and wear a single-use glove over it
The wound must be covered with a bandage AND a glove to create a double barrier against contamination.
Infected wounds harbor high concentrations of Staphylococcus aureus. The double-barrier approach uses a clean bandage plus a single-use glove. If the wound is severe, the handler should be restricted from food handling duties.
Question 4: Which is an acceptable personal hygiene practice for food handlers?
- Wearing a medical alert bracelet under gloves (Correct answer)
- Using nail polish and artificial nails
- Tasting food with a spoon and placing it back in the pot
- Wearing an apron in the restroom
Correct answer: Wearing a medical alert bracelet under gloves
Medical alert bracelets are acceptable when worn under gloves as they serve a medical necessity.
Medical alert jewelry is allowed when covered by gloves. Nail polish can chip into food, artificial nails harbor bacteria, tasting spoons must be used once, and aprons must be removed before entering restrooms.
Question 5: What should a food handler do if experiencing persistent sneezing and runny nose?
- Continue working but sneeze away from food
- Report symptoms to the manager for possible reassignment (Correct answer)
- Take medication and continue handling food
- Keep working with frequent handwashing after each sneeze
Correct answer: Report symptoms to the manager for possible reassignment
Persistent symptoms should be reported so management can assess the risk and possibly restrict the handler.
The Person in Charge must assess the situation and may restrict the food handler from exposed food or exclude them if symptoms are severe or accompanied by fever, vomiting, or diarrhea.
Question 6: Why are single-use gloves NOT a substitute for handwashing?
- Gloves are too expensive for regular use
- Pathogens can transfer through micro-tears and bacteria multiply in the warm glove environment (Correct answer)
- Gloves make hands too hot
- Gloves are only for handling raw meat
Correct answer: Pathogens can transfer through micro-tears and bacteria multiply in the warm glove environment
Gloves have micro-perforations, and bacteria multiply in the warm, moist environment inside.
Studies show 1-3 percent of new vinyl gloves have micro-perforations. The warm moist environment promotes rapid bacterial multiplication. Hands must be washed BEFORE donning gloves and every time gloves are changed.
ServSafe Personal Hygiene and Health 2
When must a food handler wash their hands?