SNHD Employee Exclusion 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An employee is diagnosed with Salmonella Typhi (typhoid fever). According to Nevada food safety law, what action must the person in charge take?
- Allow the employee to work if they wear gloves and a mask
- Restrict the employee to non-food-contact duties only
- Immediately exclude the employee from the establishment (Correct answer)
- Require the employee to take antibiotics before their next shift
Correct answer: Immediately exclude the employee from the establishment
Salmonella Typhi (typhoid fever) is a highly reportable pathogen under SNHD and Nevada regulations. Employees diagnosed with this illness must be immediately excluded from the food establishment until cleared by the health department.
Salmonella Typhi is on the FDA Food Code's 'Big 6' list of highly infectious foodborne pathogens requiring mandatory exclusion of infected food workers. Unlike restriction (limiting duties to non-food contact areas), exclusion means the employee must leave the premises entirely. The employee may not return until they have been cleared by the regulatory authority (SNHD) — typically requiring stool samples that test negative on multiple occasions. The Person in Charge is legally required to report this diagnosis to SNHD.
Question 2: What is the difference between 'excluding' and 'restricting' a sick food worker?
- Exclusion means limiting tasks; restriction means sending the worker home
- Exclusion removes the worker from the facility entirely; restriction limits them to non-food-contact tasks (Correct answer)
- Exclusion applies only to managers; restriction applies to line workers
- There is no practical difference — both mean the same thing
Correct answer: Exclusion removes the worker from the facility entirely; restriction limits them to non-food-contact tasks
Exclusion means the employee must leave the food establishment and may not work at all. Restriction means the employee can remain but must not work with food, food contact surfaces, or unwrapped single-service items.
The FDA Food Code defines these terms precisely. Exclusion requires the employee to leave the food establishment entirely and may not return until cleared by the regulatory authority. Restriction allows the employee to remain on-site but prohibits them from working with exposed food, food-contact equipment, utensils, or unwrapped single-service articles. Restriction is appropriate for less severe conditions (e.g., undiagnosed vomiting/diarrhea that the employee self-reports), while exclusion is required for diagnosed infections with the Big 6 pathogens.
Question 3: A food handler reports having persistent diarrhea and vomiting for the past 24 hours but says they feel better now. What should the Person in Charge do?
- Allow them to work since they report feeling better
- Restrict them to dishwashing duties only
- Exclude them from working until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours (Correct answer)
- Allow them to work if they take anti-diarrheal medication first
Correct answer: Exclude them from working until they have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours
An employee who has had diarrhea or vomiting within the past 24 hours must be excluded from working with food. They must be symptom-free for at least 24 hours before returning to food handling duties.
Vomiting and diarrhea are symptoms that indicate potential infection with highly contagious pathogens like norovirus or Salmonella. An employee who reports recent symptoms — even if currently feeling improved — may still be shedding pathogens in sufficient quantities to contaminate food. SNHD and the FDA Food Code require that employees be symptom-free for at least 24 hours before returning to food handling duties. The Person in Charge has both the authority and the legal responsibility to make this determination.
Question 4: Which of the following symptoms requires a food handler to be excluded from work?
- A mild headache with no fever
- A cut on the hand covered with a bandage and glove
- Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) (Correct answer)
- Occasional sneezing due to seasonal allergies
Correct answer: Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes)
Jaundice is a symptom of hepatitis A or other serious liver infections. Any employee showing jaundice must be immediately excluded from the food establishment and the health authority notified.
Jaundice indicates potential hepatitis A virus (HAV) infection or other significant liver disease. Hepatitis A is one of the Big 6 pathogens under the FDA Food Code, and infected individuals are highly contagious during the jaundiced phase. An employee showing jaundice must be excluded from the food establishment, and the Person in Charge must report the situation to SNHD. The employee may not return until cleared by the health authority, typically after the jaundice resolves and they test negative for active HAV infection.
Question 5: An employee has been diagnosed with norovirus. When can they return to work in a food service establishment?
- As soon as they stop vomiting
- After taking a full course of antibiotics
- At least 48–72 hours after all symptoms have resolved (Correct answer)
- Immediately, if they wear double gloves
Correct answer: At least 48–72 hours after all symptoms have resolved
Norovirus-infected employees must be free of all symptoms (especially vomiting and diarrhea) for at least 48–72 hours before returning to work, as they remain highly contagious during the symptomatic period.
Norovirus is one of the most contagious foodborne pathogens — as few as 18 viral particles can cause infection. Infected food handlers shed billions of particles per gram of feces, and norovirus can survive on surfaces and be transmitted through the fecal-oral route. SNHD and the FDA Food Code require that employees diagnosed with or suspected of having norovirus remain excluded from food service work for at least 48–72 hours after all symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, nausea) have completely resolved. Antibiotics are not effective against viral infections like norovirus.
Question 6: Under SNHD food safety regulations, the Person in Charge must report which of the following to the health department?
- An employee with a minor cut on their finger
- A customer complaint about slow service
- An employee diagnosed with Shigella or Hepatitis A (Correct answer)
- An employee who called in sick with a cold
Correct answer: An employee diagnosed with Shigella or Hepatitis A
Shigella and Hepatitis A are reportable diseases under Nevada law. The Person in Charge must notify SNHD when an employee is diagnosed with any of the Big 6 pathogens that cause foodborne illness.
Nevada law and the FDA Food Code require the Person in Charge to report to SNHD (the regulatory authority) whenever an employee is diagnosed with or suspected of having any of the Big 6 pathogens: Norovirus, Hepatitis A, Shigella spp., Shiga toxin-producing E. coli (STEC), Salmonella Typhi, or Nontyphoidal Salmonella. This reporting requirement exists because these pathogens can cause widespread outbreaks if not promptly controlled. SNHD will advise on exclusion, testing, and any facility-wide decontamination that may be needed.
SNHD Employee Exclusion 2
An employee is diagnosed with Salmonella Typhi (typhoid fever).
According to Nevada food safety law, what action must the person in charge take?