Employee Health Policy Agreement

Reporting Symptoms of Illness I agree to report to the manager when I have:
1. Diarrhea
2. Vomiting
3. Jaundice (yellowing of the skin and/or eyes)
4. Sore throat with fever
5. Infected cuts or wounds, or lesions containing pus on the hand, wrist, an exposed body part (such as boils and infected wounds, however small).

Reporting Diagnosed Illnesses I agree to report to the manager when I have:
1. Norovirus
2. Salmonella Typhi (typhoid fever)
3. Shigella spp. infection
4. E. coli infection (Escherichia coli O157:H7 or other EHEC/STEC infection)
5. Hepatitis A Note: The manager must report to the Health Department when an employee has one of these illnesses.

Reporting Exposure of Illness I agree to report to the manager when I have been exposed to any of the illnesses listed above through:
1. An outbreak of Norovirus, typhoid fever, Shigella spp. infection, E. coli infection, or Hepatitis A.
2. A household member with Norovirus, typhoid fever, Shigella spp. infection, E. coli infection, or hepatitis A.
3. A household member attending or working in a setting with an outbreak of Norovirus, typhoid fever, Shigella spp. infection, E. coli infection, or Hepatitis A.

Exclusion and Restriction from Work
If you have any of the symptoms or illnesses listed above, you may be excluded* or restricted** from work. *If you are excluded from work you are not allowed to come to work. **If you are restricted from work you are allowed to come to work, but your duties may be limited.

Returning to Work
If you are excluded from work for having diarrhea and/or vomiting, you will not be able to return to work until more than 24 hours have passed since your last symptoms of diarrhea and/or vomiting.

If you are excluded from work for exhibiting symptoms of a sore throat with fever or for having jaundice (yellowing of the skin and/ or eyes), Norovirus, Salmonella Typhii (typhoid fever), Shigella spp. infection, E. coli infection, and/or Hepatitis A, you will not be able to return to work until Health Department approval is granted.

Agreement I understand that I must:

1. Report when I have or have been exposed to any of the symptoms or illnesses listed above; and
2. Comply with work restrictions and/or exclusions that are given to me.

These are some of the Bacterium and Viruses spread from Food Handlers to Food

E. Coli

Overview: A bacterium that can produce a deadly toxin and causes an estimated 70,000 cases of food-borne illnesses each year in the U.S.
Sources: Meat, especially undercooked or raw hamburger, produce and raw milk.
Incubation period: 2-10 days

Symptoms: Severe diarrhea, cramping, dehydration
Prevention: Cook implicated food to 155F, wash hands properly and frequently, correctly wash rinse and sanitize food contact surfaces.

Shigella

Overview: Shigella is a bacterium that causes an estimated 450,000 cases of diarrhea illnesses each year. Poor hygiene causes Shigella to be easily passed from person to person.
Sources: Salad, milk, and dairy products, and unclean water.
Incubation period: 1-7 days

Symptoms: Diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever, chills and dehydration
Prevention: Wash hands properly and frequently, especially after using the restroom, wash vegetables thoroughly.

Salmonella

Overview: Salmonella is a bacterium responsible for millions of cases of foodborne illnesses a year. Elderly, infants and individuals with impaired immune systems are at risk to severe illness and death can occur if the person is not treated promptly with antibiotics.
Sources: raw and undercooked eggs, undercooked poultry and meat, dairy products, seafood, fruits and vegetables

Incubation period: 5-72 hours (up to 16 days has been documented for low doses)
Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, cramps, and fever
Prevention: Cook all food to proper temperatures, chill food rapidly, and eliminate sources of cross contamination (i.e. proper meat storage, proper wash, rinse, and sanitize procedure)

Hepatitis A

Overview: Hepatitis A is a liver disease caused by the Hepatitis A virus. Hepatitis A can affect anyone. In the United States, Hepatitis A can occur in situations ranging from isolated cases of disease to widespread epidemics.
Incubation period: 15-50 days

Symptoms: Jaundice, nausea, diarrhea, fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, cramps Prevention: Wash hands properly and frequently, especially after using the restroom.

Norovirus

Overview: This virus is the leading cause of diarrhea in the United States. Any food can be contaminated with norovirus if handled by someone who is infected with the virus. This virus is highly infectious.
Incubation period: 6-48 hours
Symptoms: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and cramps

Prevention: Wash hands properly and frequently, especially after using the restroom: obtain food from a reputable food source: and wash vegetables thoroughly.

Staph (Staphylococcus aureus)
Overview: Staph food poisoning is a gastrointestinal illness. It is caused by eating foods contaminated with toxins produced by Staphylococcus aureus. Staph can be found on the skin, in the mouth, throat, and nose of many employees. The hands of employees can be contaminated by touching their nose, infected cuts or other body parts. Staph produces toxins that are extremely heat stable and are not inactivated by normal reheating temperatures. It is important that food contamination be minimized.
Incubation period: Staph toxins are fast acting, sometimes causing illness in as little as 30 minutes after eating contaminated foods, but symptoms usually develop within one to six hours.
Sources: Ready-to-eat foods touched by bare hands. Foods at highest risk of producing toxins are those that are made by hand and require no cooking.
Symptoms: Patients typically experience several of the following: nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, and diarrhea. The illness lasts one day to three days. In a small minority of patients the illness may be more severe. Prevention: No bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods. Wash hands properly. Do not prepare food if you have a nose or eye infection. Do not prepare or serve food for others if you have wounds or skin infections on your hands or wrists. If food is to be stored longer than two hours, keep hot foods hot (over 135°F) and cold foods cold (41°F or under). Properly cool all foods.

Ways of Prevention:
Hand-washing is the MOST CRITICAL control step in prevention of disease. Invest 20 seconds to follow these 6 simple steps:

1. Wet your hands and arms with warm running water
2. Apply soap and bring to a good lather
3. Scrub hands and arms vigorously for 10-15 seconds (clean under nails and between fingers)
4. Rinse hands and arms thoroughly under running water
5. Dry hands and arms with a single-use paper towel or warm-air hand dryer
6. Use the towel to turn off faucets and open door handles so you don’t re- contaminate your hands
7. Don’t go to work when you are sick
8. No bare hand contact with ready-to-eat foods.

Any employee who is experiencing any of these conditions cannot report to work!  Should you report to work and are considered contagious or perceived as such, you will be required to leave work! (No Exceptions) This is to ensure the safety of our customer and fellow employees health!