When Using Gloves For Food Handling You Are Required To - T-Tees - Your Answers Await, Life's Questions Unraveled

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Gloves are relatively inexpensive and convenient making them a staple in most kitchens.

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They are also effective for reducing cross-contamination, which occurs when disease-causing organisms called pathogens transfer from one food or food-contact surface to another.

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However, to keep food safe from cross-contamination, you may wonder when you must wear them.

This article explains when you should wear gloves as a food workers, how to properly don and doff them, and more.

When are food workers required to wear gloves?

When you must wear gloves

Gloves are primarily useful for serving as a barrier between your hands and ready-to-eat (RTE) foods.

RTE foods don’t require any further processing or preparation — they’re ready to eat.

Examples of RTE foods include:

cooked fruits or vegetables for hot holding
cooked hot dogs, burgers, or pizza
bread, cakes, cookies, and pies
sandwiches and salads
washed raw fruits or vegetables
spices, seasonings, and sugar

By wearing gloves, you prevent the transfer of bacteria and other food hazards that may be on your hands to the food you’re working with or serving.

Even with proper hand washing, it’s impossible to remove all the bacteria that may be on your hands.

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Another common use for gloves is to prevent cross-contact — the transfer of food allergens from one surface or food to another.

Alternatives to gloves

Unless it’s a policy set by your workplace, there is no law or regulation that requires you to wear gloves (1).

This means you can use other barriers when handling RTE foods or preparing a special order for someone with a food allergy.

Alternatives to gloves include:

deli tissue
spatulas
tongs
skewers

Depending on what you’re assembling or serving, these alternatives may be better for the job.

Because many food workers view gloves as magical, using these alternatives may actually do a better job a preventing cross-contamination and, consequently, foodborne illnesses while also reducing opportunities for food safety citations or deficiencies.

How to don and doff gloves

Putting gloves on (donning) and taking them off (doffing) sounds easy, but there are steps you must follow to prevent contaminating them in the process.

Here are the steps to don gloves properly:

Wash your hands in a designated handwashing sink, and then select the appropriately-sized gloves.
Hold one glove by the cuff and insert all fingers of your other hand into the glove.
Pull the cuff over your wrist until it’s properly in place (avoid blowing into or rolling the gloves to make the process easier).
Check to make sure there are no holes or tears.
Repeat steps 2-4 for the other hand.

Here are the steps to doff gloves properly:

Pinch one glove at the cuff and peel it down away from your wrist, turning it inside out.
Hold the removed glove in your gloved hand.
Slide two fingers under the wrist of your gloved hand without touching the outside of the glove.
Pulling away from your body, peel off the second glove, turning it inside out with the first glove inside.
Throw the gloves away, then wash your hands.

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Don’t forget to wash your hands between glove changes.

When to change gloves

Gloves serve as an effective barrier between your hands and the food you’re working with or serving.

However, many food workers tend to view them as magical in that they can handle different foods and touch different surfaces without having to worry about cross-contamination.

For example, a food worker could handle raw chicken while wearing gloves and then think it’s safe to handle lettuce with the same gloves.

But, you must remember that gloves, like you’re hands, are a food-contact surface and they can become contaminated.

Therefore, just like you must wash your hands whenever they become contaminated, you must change your gloves whenever they become contaminated.

Here are instances in which you should change your gloves:

if they rip or tear
when changing tasks, such as switching from handling RTE foods to washing fresh produce
when an interruption occurs while you’re preparing or handling food
after you sneeze, cough, or touch your face or other non-sanitized surfaces
when preparing a special order for someone with a food allergy

You should also change your gloves at least every four hours when working on the same task, such as assembling sandwiches, since four hours is long enough for bacteria to grow to harmful levels.

Also, remember that gloves are single-use only — never wash or reuse them.

Types of food-safe gloves

Food-safe gloves contains materials that are generally considered safe for use in foodservice.

There are four types of food-safe gloves:

Polyethylene: These are very thin and useful for light-duty tasks such as assembling sandwiches or handling other RTE foods.
Latex: These are durable and provide a strong barrier against pathogens, but they can cause an allergic reaction in sensitive food handlers and customers.
Vinyl: These are a good alternative to latex glove since they offer the same utility but are latex free, but they contain harmful chemicals that can migrate into food upon contact, causing a chemical hazard.
Nitrile: These are highly versatile and durable, and may be a better latex-free alternative than vinyl owing to the growing safety concerns of vinyl gloves.

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Regardless of the type of glove available to you, make sure to choose the right size and change them when they become contaminated.