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http://dx.doi.org/10.13103/JFHS.2012.27.3.215

Studies on the Hand Hygiene Practices of Food-Service Workers: A Comparison of Fast Food Restaurant Workers and Full-service Restaurant Workers  

Kim, Jong-Gyu (Department of Public Health, Keimyung University)
Park, Jeong-Yeong (Department of Public Health, Keimyung University)
Kim, Joong-Soon (Department of Industrial and Management Engineering, Keimyung University)
Publication Information
Journal of Food Hygiene and Safety / v.27, no.3, 2012 , pp. 215-223 More about this Journal
Abstract
This study was performed to investigate hygienic behavior of food workers on the awareness of hand-washing, and the microbial load of their hands. This study focused on the comparison of fast food restaurant workers and full-service restaurant workers. A questionnaire survey and microbiological analysis were carried out for thirty fast food restaurant workers and forty full-service restaurant workers. Samples for microbiological analysis were collected through the glove-juice method from the hands of the food workers, and were analyzed for the presence of aerobic plate counts, total coliforms, fecal coliforms, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Salmonella spp. Microbiological analysis was done according to the Food Code of Korea. In the survey, significant differences (p < 0.05) were found between the fast food restaurant workers and full-service restaurant workers in the use of hand washing tools and method of turning off water. More full-service restaurant workers responded to wash their hands after touching face, hair, or clothes; after handling raw food materials, and more fast food restaurant workers periodically (p < 0.05). Aerobic plate counts were higher in fast food restaurant workers while total coliforms were higher in full-service restaurant workers (p < 0.05). No remarkable difference was found between the two groups in the load of fecal coliforms, E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp. Poor hand hygiene practices were indicated by the positive results for E. coli, S. aureus, and Salmonella spp. on the hands of some food workers in both groups. The findings of this study emphasize the need for strict adherence to hand hygiene compliance among the food workers.
Keywords
hand hygiene; fast food restaurant workers; full-service restaurant workers;
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