18 AAC 31.310 - Handwashing

(a) The operator of a food establishment shall ensure that employees thoroughly wash their hands and the exposed portions of their arms with soap and warm water

(1) in a handwash sink located and installed as specified at 18 AAC 31.416, and equipped as specified at 18 AAC 31.525; and

(2) using the following cleaning procedure:

(A) vigorous friction on the surfaces of the lathered fingers, finger tips, areas between the fingers, hands, and arms for at least 10 to 15 seconds; employees shall pay particular attention to the areas underneath the fingernails;

(B) thorough rinsing under clean, running water that is at least 100º F;

(C) turning the faucet off in a manner that will not contaminate cleaned hands or arms;

(D) thorough drying of cleaned hands and arms using

(i) individual, disposable towels;

(ii) a continuous disposable towel system that supplies the user with a clean, disposable towel; or

(iii) a heated-air hand drying device.

(b) The operator of a food establishment shall ensure that each employee washes their hands and exposed portions of their arms as described in (a) of this section immediately before engaging in food preparation or processing, including working with exposed food, clean food-contact surfaces, or unwrapped single-service or single-use articles, and

(1) after touching bare human body parts other than clean hands and clean, exposed portions of arms;

(2) after using the toilet;

(3) after caring for or handling service animals or aquatic animals allowed under 18 AAC 31.575;

(4) after using tobacco, eating, drinking, coughing, sneezing, or using a handkerchief or disposable tissue;

(5) after handling soiled equipment or utensils;

(6) during food preparation, as often as necessary to remove soil and contamination and to prevent cross-contamination when changing tasks;

(7) before preparing ready-to-eat food and when switching between working with raw and ready-to-eat food;

(8) before donning gloves for working with food; and

(9) after engaging in other activities that may contaminate the hands or arms.

(c) If a hand antiseptic or solution used as a hand dip is used, the operator of a food establishment shall ensure that

(1) the hand antiseptic or solution used as a hand dip is safe, complies with provisions specified at 18 AAC 31.570, except that a hand antiseptic or solution used as a hand dip that is not safe or in compliance with 18 AAC 31.570 may be used if the use is

(A) followed by

(i) thorough hand rinsing in clean water before hand contact with food; or

(ii) by the use of gloves; or

(B) limited to situations that do not involve direct contact with food by the bare hands;

(2) the antiseptic or solution is located only adjacent to a handwash sink;

(3) the antiseptic or solution is used in addition to handwashing but not as a substitute for handwashing; and

(4) a solution used as a hand dip is kept clean and maintained at a strength equivalent to at least 100 ppm hypochlorite solution.

Notes

18 AAC 31.310

Eff. 5/18/97, Register 142; readopt 12/19/99, Register 152; am 6/28/2001, Register 158; am 12/28/2006, Register 180

Effective 12/19/99, Register 152, the Department of Environmental Conservation readopted 18 AAC 31.310, without change, to affirm the validity of that section following statutory amendments made in ch. 72, SLA 1998. Chapter 72, SLA 1998 relocated department authority to adopt regulations in 18 AAC 31 from AS 03.05 to AS 17.20.

Authority:AS 17.20.005

AS 17.20.020

AS 17.20.072

AS 17.20.180

AS 17.20.290

AS 44.46.020