Businesses are spending some serious time and money trying to limit the H1N1 flu pandemic’s impact on operations. From showing videos on good hygiene to cross-training employees to cover for co-workers with critical jobs, there is a sense of urgency to ensure employees understand how to mitigate the risks of a flu pandemic in the workplace. Companies are even arranging for employees with flu symptoms or sick family members to work from home where possible, holding fewer in-person meetings, even discouraging handshakes. Hand sanitizers, disinfectant wipes and tissues are at the ready as companies across the world make keeping workers healthy their first line of defense.
In many countries, the term hygiene, in the context of food, is used in rather broad terms, to include the general topic of food and plant sanitation. In the United States, the term has a much narrower meaning, referring primarily to the personal cleanliness and habits of the food worker. To avoid confusion we should be using the term “personal hygiene” to relate to the circumstances surrounding the personal cleanliness of workers in general and to food workers where it is more appropriate.