Salt Lake Valley Health Department
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Food Protection
Food Safety Fact Sheets and Brochures
Sanitization of Food Equipment and Utensils
Preventing Chemical Contamination
Eating, Drinking or Using Tobacco
Rules for Restaurant Employees Regarding Eating, Drinking or Using Tobacco
And
The Facts about Bodily Fluids
Brochure (PDF 101 KB)
Infectious Bodily Fluids
Germs such as viruses, bacteria, and parasites cause infectious diseases. Some infectious diseases are highly contagious or communicable, which means they can be spread very easily from person to person in a variety of ways. They can be spread by coughing, sneezing, and a runny nose.
They can also be transmitted by fecal-oral contact. It takes undetectable amounts of human feces to contaminate food or water with highly infectious viruses and bacteria.
Eating Drinking or Using Tobacco
Food establishment employees are not prohibited from eating, drinking or smoking. However, due to the occasional contact between hands and mouth there are restrictions as to how, when, and where they eat, drink, and smoke.
Remember...
Saliva is a body fluid that may carry viruses like the highly infectious norovirus, and hepatitis A.
No eating, drinking or smoking is allowed during the preparation, handling, portioning, or packaging of food items to be consumed by the public.
Eating
Restaurant employees should consume food only in designated areas to reduce the risk of contaminating surfaces such as preparation counters. In addition, employee food should be stored in covered containers and in a place that prevents the contamination of other restaurant foods.
Drinking
Similar to employee food, employee drinks should be covered at all times with a tight-fitting lid. They should be stored in a designated employee area or below other food items or food preparation surfaces to prevent spillage that may contaminate other consumer food or food contact surfaces such as equipment, which include single-service and single-use items and linens.
Smoking or using tobacco
Restaurant employees are permitted to smoke or use other tobacco products only in designated areas to prevent the contamination of exposed food, clean equipment, utensils, and linens as well as unwrapped single-service items.
Smoking must take place outside of a building 25 feet away from a public entrance or air intake unless the establishment is a private club for members only.
In accordance with new legislation, smoking is prohibited in all indoor public places starting in 2009. For further clarification regarding this legislation contact the Health Department.
And remember...
If you are a restaurant employee experiencing persistent sneezing, coughing, or a runny nose that causes discharges from the eyes, nose, or mouth, you may not work with exposed food, clean equipment or any other food contact surface item.