Michigan Food Safety Management Practice Test

After a food handler sustains a small cut, what is the best practice for a manager to ensure food safety?

1. He wears a fabric dressing, and rubber gloves

2. He wears a waterproof dressing and single use gloves

3. He goes home for the day

4. He is allocated tasks that do not involve exposed food.

The correct answer is: He wears a waterproof dressing and single use gloves

The best practice for ensuring food safety after a food handler sustains a small cut is to use a waterproof dressing and single-use gloves. This approach is important because it effectively contains any potential contamination that might result from the injury. A waterproof dressing prevents moisture and bacteria from access to the wound while also keeping any blood or other bodily fluids securely contained. This is crucial in a food preparation environment where maintaining hygiene is paramount. The addition of single-use gloves further enhances safety by creating an additional barrier between the food handler’s skin and the food being prepared. Gloves should be changed regularly, especially if they become soiled or if the worker switches tasks, thus ensuring ongoing protection against contamination. Using fabric dressings could allow moisture to escape or may not provide sufficient protection, while simply sending the person home does not address the immediate need to continue food service safely. Allocating tasks without exposed food, while a reasonable consideration, does not mitigate potential contamination if the food handler is still in proximity to food items. Therefore, the combination of waterproof dressings and single-use gloves is the most effective preventative measure in this scenario.