SNHD Personal Hygiene 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A food handler has a small cut on their hand. What must they do before handling food?
- Rinse it with water and return to work
- Cover with a waterproof bandage and wear a glove over it (Correct answer)
- Apply a bandage only — no glove is needed
- Apply antiseptic lotion and continue working
Correct answer: Cover with a waterproof bandage and wear a glove over it
Cuts must be covered with a waterproof bandage AND a glove to create a double barrier that prevents blood or wound fluid from contaminating food.
Question 2: Which action requires a food handler to wash their hands immediately?
- Moving from one prep table to another
- Touching their face or scratching their head (Correct answer)
- Putting on a clean apron
- Reading a paper order ticket
Correct answer: Touching their face or scratching their head
The face and hair naturally harbor bacteria; touching them transfers pathogens to hands, requiring immediate handwashing before any further food contact.
Question 3: What is the correct rule for fingernails of food handlers?
- Painted with nail polish to seal out dirt
- Short, clean, and unpolished (or artificial nails covered by gloves) (Correct answer)
- Any length is acceptable if gloves are worn
- Long nails are acceptable if cleaned thoroughly
Correct answer: Short, clean, and unpolished (or artificial nails covered by gloves)
Short, clean, unpolished nails are required because long nails and nail polish harbor bacteria and can chip or break into food as a physical contaminant.
Question 4: Can hand sanitizer replace handwashing for a food handler?
- Yes, if the sanitizer is at least 60% alcohol
- Yes, whenever soap and water are not immediately available
- No — hand sanitizer is only an additional step after proper handwashing (Correct answer)
- Yes, for all situations except after restroom use
Correct answer: No — hand sanitizer is only an additional step after proper handwashing
Hand sanitizer cannot remove physical contaminants or kill all pathogens present on hands and is only approved as a supplemental step after proper handwashing.
Question 5: Which of the following must a food handler report to their manager?
- Feeling tired from a long shift
- A diagnosis of a reportable illness such as Salmonella (Correct answer)
- Having seasonal allergy symptoms
- Wearing the wrong color uniform
Correct answer: A diagnosis of a reportable illness such as Salmonella
A diagnosis of a reportable foodborne illness like Salmonella must be reported because the employee may need to be excluded from work to prevent spreading the illness.
Question 6: What should food handlers do with a soiled apron during their shift?
- Shake it clean and put it back on
- Wipe hands on it to save time
- Remove it, store it away from food, and replace it with a clean one (Correct answer)
- Continue wearing it for the entire shift
Correct answer: Remove it, store it away from food, and replace it with a clean one
Soiled aprons must be removed and stored away from food prep areas to prevent cross-contamination before being sent for laundering.
Question 7: How should a food handler dry their hands after washing?
- Shake them in the air until dry
- Wipe on their apron or uniform
- Use a single-use paper towel or a warm air dryer (Correct answer)
- Use a shared cloth towel kept near the sink
Correct answer: Use a single-use paper towel or a warm air dryer
Single-use paper towels or warm air dryers are the only acceptable hand-drying methods because shared cloth towels accumulate bacteria and can recontaminate clean hands.
SNHD Personal Hygiene 2
A food handler has a small cut on their hand.
What must they do before handling food?