The food industry has had to transform in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Safety is everyone’s priority now. If people follow health and safety guidelines, they can resume their lives sooner. It is still uncertain how long the Covid-19 pandemic will rage, but the food industry cannot fall behind.
Even as the coronavirus pandemic shut down businesses globally, the food industry didn’t close its doors for long. By using safety equipment and maintaining social distancing, restaurants and food delivery services could operate without problems.
The CDC’s guidelines on health and safety can give you all the details you need to keep your employees and customers safe through the Covid-19 pandemic.
The CDC has offered two main ways of preventing the spread of Covid-19.
- Face Masks: If everyone wears a mask when they step outside their homes, the chances of Covid-19 spreading among the population will be reduced. Most face masks prevent a sick patient from spreading Covid-19 to a healthy patient. This is especially useful in ensuring that symptomatic carriers don’t unintentionally infect a healthy person.
- Gloves: Since Covid-19 can also be spread from surfaces, gloves are necessary. Gloves ensure that the surface of the skin is never coming in contact with any contaminated surface. In the food industry, gloves should be used both during meal preparation as well as in service.
- Social Distancing: CDC recommends that people always maintain six feet distance between each other when out in public. People should always wear a face mask, even if they are maintaining social distancing.
In the food industry, wearing masks helps keep the food and the environment safe. If an employee falls ill, they won’t pass it on to their colleagues or the food. A face mask should be an accessory that stays even after the Covid-19 pandemic. But what kind of face mask should you wear?
Different Kinds of Face Masks
The CDC provides a list of four different kinds of face masks that you can wear.
- Cloth Mask: This is the most popular kind of face mask in use. The cloth Mask can be reused if you wash it.
- Surgical Mask: It’s recommended that people wear cloth masks over surgical masks. This is as surgical masks are needed by the healthcare industry. To ensure that healthcare workers have constant access to surgical masks, the CDC recommends that the general public wear cloth masks. Surgical masks can’t be reused.
- The N95 Respirator: An N95 Respirator offers the most protection out of these three kinds of face masks. The N95 is also supposed to be used only once. However, in case there is not enough supply, the CDC has recommended the number of times an N95 can be used. The N95 offers greater protection by protecting the area around the nostrils. It prevents germs and other particles from affecting you.
- Face Shields: A face shield should never be used without a face mask. A face shield adds greater protection, and when worn with a face mask, ensures the health and safety of the employee.
By combining face shields with face masks, you can offer maximum protection to your employees. It will help prevent the spread of Covid-19 and keep food businesses open.
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Aside from these, gloves are an accessory that is also necessary for the time of Covid-19. In the food industry, safety can best be maintained by using disposable gloves. These need to be thrown out after every use.
Together with face masks, they maintain health and safety in the workplace.
How do you wear a face mask?
After you have chosen your face mask and have told your employees that they must wear it every day, you also have to teach them how to wear it.
- Wash Hands: Before touching the face mask, employees must wash their hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds. They should not touch the face mask at all until their hands are clean.
- Wear Face Mask: Once their hands are cleaned, they should pick up the face mask and place it on their faces. The straps should be either tucked behind the ears or around the head, depending on the mask.
- Set the Mask: Now that the mask is in place, they should ensure that all the necessary areas are covered. These include the nose and the mouth. The mask should be tucked under their chin. The area around the nostrils should be pinched so that germs can’t enter through there.
How do you wear gloves?
Gloves are another necessary accessory that the food industry should integrate. Together with face masks, they ensure that clean and sanitary food is reaching customers every day.
- Wash Hands: Like with the face mask, washing hands with soap and water for at least twenty seconds is the first step.
- Wear Gloves: With clean hands, they should wear their gloves.
- Throw Away: The used gloves should be thrown away after use. Gloves should never be used twice.
The food industry needs gloves and face masks. They work together to offer protection against Covid-19. Without either of them, safety regulations can’t be maintained. The food industry is an essential service that people need. To be available and ready to go, integrate, and implement the use of gloves and face masks into your health and safety regulations.