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Industry Standard 3/Industry Agreed Standard 3 (IS3/IAS3)

16 Health of Personnel

Amendment 3

May 2004

Scope

The requirements outlined in this part shall apply to all personnel engaged in or being employed in the slaughter and dressing of animals or the processing, packaging or handling of food or handling of any material or article used in the packaging of food.

16.1 Outcome

Personnel entering food areas shall be apparently healthy so that hazards associated with the transmission of diseases of public health concern are minimised.

16.2 General Principles

Personnel suffering from, or who are carriers of, communicable diseases that can be transmitted as a consequence of handling food, as may be defined in Schedules 1 and 2 of the Health Act 1956, or who are suffering from any discharge of infective material from the head, neck, hands or arms, as set out in the Meat Regulations 1969, regulation 72(1), shall not work in food areas or handle packaging material except as permitted under 16.3 and 16.4 below.

16.3 Prohibiting Work in Food Areas

16.3.1 Licensee to prohibit work

The Licensee shall prohibit any person from working in a food area or in the handling of packaging material if he/she suspects the person is suffering from any condition referred to in this section.

16.3.2 Medical Officer of Health to prohibit work

The Medical Officer of Health (MOH) may prohibit a person from working in a food area or in the handling of packaging material, if that person is suffering from, or has been in recent contact with a person suffering from, any condition referred to in this section. The MOH will serve a notice in writing to such persons.

16.4 Medical Certificates

16.4.1 Application

Any person who has been prohibited from working in a food area shall provide evidence, as follows, that the prohibition no longer applies:

16.4.1.1 in respect of a case:

a. by a certificate from a medical practitioner stating the person is no longer likely to spread infection associated with:

• the illness, or

• from any condition of the head, neck, hands or arms, as the case may be, or

b. in the case of illness under the Health Act, with approval of the MOH.

16.4.1.2 in respect of a contact, by a notice from the Medical Officer of Health revoking the notice issued in respect of an in-contact person.

16.4.2 Importing country requirements

Importing countries may have requirements for medical certificates which differ from these requirements, see also Overseas Market Access Requirements.

16.4.3 Records

Records of sighting medical certificates shall be maintained by the Licensee and shall be available to the Technical Supervisor or the MOH or his/her representative.

16.5 Injuries

16.5.1 Minimising contamination

The risk of contamination of food and byproduct through blood and other fluid discharges associated with injury, including the presence of wart or wart-like lesions, shall be minimised.

16.5.2 Wound dressings

16.5.2.1 Dressings applied to an injury or any other skin lesion shall be waterproof, maintained in a sanitary condition and adequately secured to avoid dislodgement.

16.5.2.2 Impervious gloves used to cover dressings shall comply with Section 17.4.5.

16.6 Health Monitoring

The Licensee shall maintain all records relating to disease problems of any employee.