ServSafe Proper Personal Hygiene 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A food handler who smokes must wash their hands:
- Only if they touched tobacco directly
- After smoking and before returning to food handling duties (Correct answer)
- At the end of their shift
- Before smoking, not after
Correct answer: After smoking and before returning to food handling duties
Smoking causes food handlers to touch their mouth, requiring handwashing before returning to food prep.
Question 2: Which symptom would require a food handler to be excluded from the operation entirely (not just restricted)?
- A minor headache
- Jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes) (Correct answer)
- A small cut on the arm
- Mild fatigue
Correct answer: Jaundice (yellowing of skin or eyes)
Jaundice is a symptom associated with Hepatitis A, which requires immediate exclusion from the food service operation.
Question 3: What is the primary purpose of wearing a hair restraint in a food service operation?
- To comply with a dress code for appearance
- To prevent hair from falling into food (Correct answer)
- To keep hair clean during food preparation
- To distinguish food handlers from managers
Correct answer: To prevent hair from falling into food
Hair restraints are required to prevent hair from contaminating food as a physical hazard.
Question 4: A food handler ate lunch and is about to return to their station. Before starting work, they must:
- Wipe their hands on their apron
- Wash their hands thoroughly (Correct answer)
- Put on a new apron
- Rinse their hands with water only
Correct answer: Wash their hands thoroughly
Hands must be washed after eating before returning to any food handling activity.
Question 5: Under what circumstance may a food handler with Salmonella Typhi be allowed to return to work?
- After their symptoms resolve on their own
- After receiving written medical clearance from a health practitioner (Correct answer)
- After 24 hours with no fever
- After completing a full course of antibiotics without verification
Correct answer: After receiving written medical clearance from a health practitioner
Salmonella Typhi is a Big 6 pathogen requiring written medical clearance before a food handler may return to work.
Question 6: Which of the following is NOT an appropriate time to change single-use gloves?
- After handling raw seafood before touching cooked shrimp
- After every 4 hours of continuous use or when torn
- After briefly stepping away to get a utensil from a clean drawer (Correct answer)
- After touching your face or hair
Correct answer: After briefly stepping away to get a utensil from a clean drawer
Briefly retrieving a clean utensil from a clean drawer does not contaminate gloves, so changing them is not required in that scenario.
Question 7: A food handler is scheduled to prep raw chicken but has a small infected cut on their hand. The correct action is to:
- Cover the cut with a bandage and wear a glove over it
- Work without covering it since gloves will protect the food
- Ask to be assigned to a non-food-contact task only
- Report to a manager and follow their guidance on whether to cover it or restrict duties (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Report to a manager and follow their guidance on whether to cover it or restrict duties
An infected wound may be a source of Staphylococcus aureus, so the manager must assess whether the handler should be restricted or removed from food prep.
ServSafe Proper Personal Hygiene 5
A food handler who smokes must wash their hands: