- SITXOHS002A - Follow workplace hygiene procedures
SITXOHS002A
Follow workplace hygiene procedures
Application
Personal hygiene practices underpin a range of service industry activities. They are particularly important within a food safety regime, but can also apply to housekeeping activities and anywhere where poor hygiene could provide a contamination risk. Poor hygiene practices can risk the health of customers, colleagues and self. For the purposes of food safety, this unit only has application to hospitality, commercial catering and retail venues where food is stored, prepared, displayed and served. It will apply to any venue that operates a permanent or temporary kitchen or smaller food preparation area, such as restaurants, cafes, clubs, hotels, attractions, events and conference venues, fast food restaurants, retail food outlets such as sandwich shops and food court outlets. It would apply to tour operators involved in the preparation and service of food at temporary sites. Other industries will need to access industry-specific food safety units of competency. This unit applies to frontline operational personnel who work under close supervision and guidance from others during the normal course of their daily activities. They would be required to apply little discretion and judgement because they operate within predefined organisational hygiene procedures. Personal hygiene practices apply to all personnel operating at all levels within the service industries, such as kitchen hands, cooks, chefs, catering staff, food and beverage attendants, housekeeping and, laundry staff, sandwich hands, cafe and fast food outlet cooking crew and sales people and owner-operators of small business catering operations or retail food outlets. | |
Prerequisites
Nil | |
Elements and Performance Criteria
ELEMENT | PERFORMANCE CRITERIA | ||
1 | Follow hygiene procedures and identify hygiene hazards. | 1.1 | Access and follow hygieneprocedures and policies correctly and consistently according to organisation and legal requirements to ensure health and safety of customers and colleagues. |
1.2 | Identify and report poor organisation practices that are inconsistent with hygiene procedures. | ||
1.3 | Identify hygiene hazards that may affect the health and safety of customers, colleagues and self. | ||
1.4 | Take action to remove or minimise the hazards within scope of individual responsibility and according to organisation and legal requirements. | ||
1.5 | Promptly report hygiene hazards to appropriate person for follow up where control of hazard is beyond the scope of individual responsibility. | ||
2 | Report any personal health issues. | 2.1 | Report any personal health issues that are likely to cause a hygiene risk. |
2.2 | Report incidents of food contamination that have resulted from the personal health issue. | ||
2.3 | Do not participate in food handling activities where there is a risk of food contamination as a result of the health issue. | ||
3 | Prevent food and other item contamination. | 3.1 | Maintain clean clothes, wear required personal protective clothing and only use organisation-approved bandages and dressings to prevent contamination to food. |
3.2 | Ensure that no clothing or other items worn contaminate food. | ||
3.3 | Prevent unnecessary direct contact with ready to eat food. | ||
3.4 | Do not allow food to become contaminated with any body fluids or tobacco product from sneezing, coughing, blowing nose, spitting, smoking or eating over food or food preparation surfaces. | ||
3.5 | Maintain the use of clean materials and clothes and safe and hygienic practices to ensure that no cross-contamination of other items in the workplace occurs. | ||
4 | Prevent cross-contamination by washing hands. | 4.1 | Wash handsat appropriate times and follow hand washing procedures correctly and consistently according to organisation and legal requirements. |
4.2 | Wash hands using appropriate facilities. |
Required Skills
This section describes the essential skills and knowledge and their level, required for this unit. |
The following skills must be assessed as part of this unit: communication skills to verbally report hygiene hazards and poor organisation practice literacy skills to read and interpret relevant organisation policies, procedures and diagrams that identify good hygiene practices. |
The following knowledge must be assessed as part of this unit: very basic understanding of federal, and state or territory food safety legislative compliance requirements, contents of national codes and standards that underpin regulatory requirements, and local government food safety regulations working knowledge of organisation personal hygiene policies and procedures ramifications of failure to observe hygiene policies and procedures broad understanding of the general hazards in handling food, linen, laundry and garbage, including major causes of contamination and cross-infection sources and effects of microbiological contamination of food and other items that would require protection in the industry sector and business basic understanding of the choice and application of cleaning and sanitising equipment and materials. |
Evidence Required
The evidence guide provides advice on assessment and must be read in conjunction with the performance criteria, required skills and knowledge, the range statement and the Assessment Guidelines for this Training Package. | |
Critical aspects for assessment and evidence required to demonstrate competency in this unit | Evidence of the following is essential: ability to access and interpret hygiene procedures and consistently apply these during day-to-day activities understanding of the importance of following hygiene procedures and of the potential implications of disregarding those procedures project or work activities that show the candidate's ability to apply good hygiene practices on multiple occasions in a range of different operational circumstances to ensure consistency in the application of hygiene procedures. |
Context of and specific resources for assessment | Assessment must ensure: access to current regulatory documents distributed by key federal, state or territory, and local government agencies such as plain English legislative publications, codes and standards outlining food safety requirements access to hygiene policies and procedures project or work activities that show candidates' ability to apply good hygiene practices within the context of the particular industry sector in which they are working or seeking work; for those undertaking generic pre-employment training, assessment must cover a range of industry contexts to allow for a broad range of vocational outcomes use of real products, materials and equipment. |
Methods of assessment | A range of assessment methods should be used to assess practical skills and knowledge. The following examples are appropriate for this unit: direct observation of the candidate carrying out work tasks that involve following hygiene procedures oral and written questions about hygiene principles and practices, policies and procedures oral or written questions to assess knowledge of food hygiene legislative requirements case studies to assess ability to react to a range of incidents where hygiene hazards exist review of portfolios of evidence and third-party workplace reports of on-the-job performance by the candidate. |
Holistic assessment with other units relevant to the industry sector, workplace and job role is recommended, for example: SITHACS005A Prepare rooms for guests SITHACS007A Launder linen and guest clothes SITXFSA001A Implement food safety procedures. | |
Assessing employability skills | Employability skills are integral to effective performance in the workplace and are broadly consistent across industry sectors. How these skills are applied varies between occupations and qualifications due to the different work functions and contexts. Employability skills embedded in this unit should be assessed holistically with other relevant units that make up the skill set or qualification and in the context of the job role. |
Range Statement
The range statement relates to the unit of competency as a whole. It allows for different work environments and situations that may affect performance. Bold italicised wording in the performance criteria is detailed below. | |
Hygiene procedures may relate to: | personal hygiene safe and hygienic handling of food and beverages regular hand washing correct food storage suitable dress and personal protective equipment and clothing avoidance of cross-contamination hygienic cleaning practices to avoid cross-contamination use of cleaning equipment, clothes and materials to avoid cross-contamination safe handling and disposal of linen and laundry appropriate handling and disposal of garbage cleaning and sanitising procedures documented in the organisation food safety program procedures covered by staff training programs procedures required by the national food safety code. |
Poor organisation practices may include: | poor personal hygiene practices poor food handling practices that may result in the contamination of food poor cleaning practices that may result in cross-contamination of food and other items practices inconsistent with the organisation's food safety program outdated practices not in keeping with current organisation activities. |
Hygiene hazards may include: | contaminated food vermin airborne dust items such as linen, tea towels and towels that may be contaminated with human waste, such as blood and body secretions dirty equipment and utensils contaminated garbage use of practices not in keeping with current organisation activities colleagues without appropriate training or understanding of good hygiene practices, policies and procedures equipment not working correctly, such as fridge and temperature probes. |
Health issues may relate to: | food-borne diseases airborne diseases infectious diseases. |
Other itemsworn may include: | hair accessories jewellery watches bandages. |
Cross-contaminationof other items in the workplace may involve: | infected linen items such as linen, tea towels and towels that may be contaminated with human waste, such as blood and body secretions dirty equipment and utensils spreading bacteria from bathroom or bedroom areas to kitchen areas in an accommodation facility. |
Washing handsat appropriate times might include: | immediately before working with food immediately after handling raw food before commencing or recommencing work with food immediately after using the toilet immediately after smoking, coughing, sneezing, blowing the nose, eating, drinking, and touching the hair, scalp or any wound. |
Appropriatefacilities for hand washing may include: | warm running water soap single use towels designated hand washing sink. |
Sectors
Sector | Cross-Sector |
Competency Field
Occupational Health and Safety | |
Employability Skills
The required outcomes described in this unit of competency contain applicable facets of employability skills. The Employability Skills Summary of the qualification in which this unit is packaged will assist in identifying employability skills requirements. | |
Licensing Information
Not applicable.