Personal Hygiene - Hair & Nails

HAIR

1. Always wear a hat/hair cover in the kitchen.

The human scalp peels off in the form of dandruff and we lose hair every day. Dandruff and hair in food are unpleasant and unhygienic because they contain pathogens such as Staphylococcus aureus.  Therefore, it is important to shampoo your hair regularly. Apart from just shampooing your hair, it is important to wear a chef hat or hair cover in the kitchen to prevent loose hair from falling into the food.The pathogen from the hair will be mixed with the food when dropped and can cause food poisoning.

2. Long hair should be tied up.

Long hair should be tied into a bun using a hair net and neatly fixed with gel. Bobby pins can be used however it is advised to be used minimally (max 2). Hair pins can cause hazards if it drops into the food. Guys are advised to cut off side burns and hair should not touch the collar of the uniform. Fringes should be pinned up.

3. Never adjust hair in kitchen.

 It should be done in the changing room/ toilet before putting on apron to prevent hair dropping on the apron then on the food.




Suitable hairstyle for girls

Suitable sideburn for guys



Suitable hairstyle for guys



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NAILS

1.Keep nails short and trimmed.

Microorganisms such as bacteria ( e.g Pseudomonas) , fungus( e.g Trichophyton) and yeast ( e.g Candida)  are mainly to gather un­der long fingernails. Hence, when these microorganisms get transferred while we prepare food it will cause food poisoning to the person who consumes it. Therefore, it is important that we cut our nails at least once a week. Fingernails should be cut as short as possible which means it should not extend pass the fingertips. Long nails are prone to chipping off and sometimes unknowingly it might drop into the food, which can cause hazard if someone happens to swallow it. Trim your nails with a proper nail clipper, clean underneath the tips and then file down any rough spots with an emery board.If you have weak or brittle nails, you will want to keep nails fairly short to reduce the risk of having them break or split.

2.Do not use nail varnish.

You should not wear nail polish, as dirt cannot be seen under nail varnish and as the varnish can flake off, its use is not permitted when working in the kitchen.  It is a physical hazard.It can cause food poisoning to customers. Symptoms of food poisioning includes vomiting, fever, stomach pains and drowsiness. Therefore, it is important to removal any nail polish before touching food.



3. Do not wear artificial nails.

Artificial fingernails invites a greater number of pathogens than natural nails. Enhancements of artificial fingernails give way to the changes in nails that cause an increase of colonization and transmission of pathogens. Artificial fingernails are made of acrylic. Acrylic is a chemical used to fix the artificial nail and contains methyl and methacrylate. The acrylic in artificial nails causes the reproduction of gram negative bacilli and yeast. Artificial nails are linked with allergies that happens at the time of application of the nail itself. Having artificial nails could lead to a lift in the natural human nail base, therefore, dirt and bacteria will be able to invade. Also, bacteria and fungi can also grow in between the natural and the artificial nails.Eventually this will be mixed into the food even if you have washed your hands thoroughly.