Section 70.05. Personnel standards.

 

(1)   Cleanliness. Persons engaged in food processing shall maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness, and shall observe good hygienic practices during all working periods. Persons engaged in food processing shall wash their hands before beginning work and upon returning to work after using toilet facilities, eating, smoking, or engaging in other activities which may contaminate the hands. Persons engaged in food processing shall keep their fingernails clean and neatly trimmed, and shall not wear fingernail polish unless they wear sanitary gloves at all times when handling food.

(1m)   Hand contact with food.

(a) Except as provided in par. (b) , individuals engaged in food processing or handling may not contact ready-to-eat food with their bare hands but shall use suitable food handling aids such as deli-tissue, spatulas, tongs, single-use gloves, or dispensing equipment to avoid bare-hand contact.

(am) If used, finger cots or gloves shall be:

1. Made of impermeable materials, except where the use of such material is inappropriate or incompatible with the work being done.

2. Sanitized at least twice daily or more often if necessary.

3. Properly stored until used.

4. Maintained in a clean, intact, and sanitary condition prior to use.

(b) Individuals may contact ready-to-eat food with their bare hands if that contact is reasonably necessary, and does not contaminate food. The individuals shall be trained in, and shall follow, written policies and procedures to ensure safe use of bare hands. The policies and procedures shall identify all of the following:

1. The individuals or positions authorized to contact ready-to-eat food with bare hands.

2. The specific tasks for which bare-hand contact is authorized.

3. The types of ready-to-eat food that may be contacted with bare hands.

4. The procedures that authorized individuals are required to follow in order to prevent food contamination from bare-hand contact.

(c) A food processing plant operator shall provide advance training under par. (b) to all individuals who may contact ready-to-eat food with their bare hands. The operator shall have a written training plan that identifies all of the following:

1. The individuals or positions responsible for implementing the training, maintaining training records, and ensuring compliance with training requirements.

2. The content of the training, including the written procedures required under par. (b) .

3. The form of initial training, and the form and frequency of follow-up training if any.

4. Monitoring and control procedures to ensure that individuals are trained before they contact ready-to-eat food with bare hands.

5. Procedures to evaluate training effectiveness.

(cm) The operator of a food processing plant shall review the training program under par. (c) at least annually.

(d) A food processing plant operator shall maintain records to document the operator's compliance with this subsection. Records shall be retained for at least one year after they are made, and shall be available to the department for inspection and copying upon request.

(2)   Clothing and jewelry. Persons in food processing areas or handling unpackaged food shall wear clean, washable outer garments and effective hair restraints, including effective hair restraints for beards longer than 1 / 2 inch. Hair restraints may include hair nets, caps, and snoods, but do not include hairsprays, visors, or headbands. Persons working in food processing areas or handling unpackaged food shall remove all jewelry from their hands and fingers before having any direct manual contact with food or food contact surfaces. Jewelry shall not be worn in a manner which creates a risk of food contamination. This subsection does not apply to plain band wedding rings.

(3)   Employee health. No person who by medical examination or supervisory observation has or is reasonably suspected of having any of the following conditions may work in a food processing plant in any capacity that may result in the contamination of food, or in the contamination of equipment or utensils used to process or handle food:

(a) A communicable disease.

(b) Any symptom of an acute gastrointestinal illness.

(c) A discharging or open wound, sore, or lesion on the hands, arms, or other exposed portions of the body.

(4)   Consumption of food, beverages, and tobacco. No person may consume food, beverages, or tobacco in any food processing area, or in any area where food processing equipment or utensils are cleaned or stored. Employees may not consume food, beverages, or tobacco except in designated areas which are separated from food processing areas. This subsection does not prohibit a sanitary water fountain in a processing area, nor does it prohibit on-line quality control sampling in accordance with written quality control procedures established by the food processing plant operator.

Cr. Register, October, 1989, No. 406 , eff. 11-1-89; r. and recr. (3), Register, April, 1996, No. 484 , eff. 5-1-96; CR 09-009 : cr. (1m) Register October 2009 No. 646 , eff. 11-1-09; CR 12-037 : cr. (1m) (am) Register May 2013 No. 689 , eff. 6-1-13.