Get A Handle On Glove Safety. Managers must choose both the appropriate hand protection and provide the necessary training in order to eliminate the cost and human suffering that result from injuries to foodservice workers' hands and arms. In addition, the Bureau of Labor Statistics also reported nearly 9,000 cases of lost workday injuries resulting from heat burns to foodservice workers in professional kitchens in 1998. Studies show that most workers injured by either cuts or bums were not wearing gloves or were wearing the wrong type of glove when their injury occurred.
Customers are also vulnerable to kitchen hazards.
Foodborne illnesses are typically caused by pathogens that can reach the foodservice customer in a number of ways. Most of these paths of entry are preventable. For example, foodservice workers, having contaminated their hands from any number of sources may prepare or serve food without washing their hands or donning gloves. Proper hand washing and the proper use of gloves are essential to protecting foodservice workers and customers alike. The U.S. Food Code consists of model requirements for safeguarding public health and ensuring that food is unadulterated and honestly presented when offered to the consumer.