Sickness Absence Policy

General:

A person handling or serving food when suffering from certain skin, nose, throat or, particularly,
gastrointestinal infections risks contaminating the food and thus infecting anyone eating it. An
essential part of food safety, therefore, is controlling this risk by ensuring as far as possible that an infected person does not come into contact with food to be consumed by others. Food hygiene regulations prohibit anyone working in a food business from handling food or entering a food handling area if they are suffering from, or are a carrier of a disease likely to be transmitted through food. An affected person must report their symptoms immediately to management. Under Department of Health regulations, no‐one must return to work after a gastrointestinal infection whilst taking any medication for the illness and until they have been free from vomiting/diarrhoea for 48 hours.

Responsibilities:

Supervisors

To ensure the implementation of this policy across the site.
To provide every access to this document if requested
To assess the fitness to work with food of any co‐worker either reporting any of the
symptoms described above or reporting contact with anyone suffering from
stomach or bowel ailments. In case of doubt, to refer the co‐worker to his/her GP.
To be aware of the sensibilities and respect the privacy of anyone reporting potentially
embarrassing symptoms.
To prevent any co‐worker handling or serving food if there is any risk that the safety of the food may be compromised

Volunteers

To be thoroughly familiar with the requirements of this policy, to sign the Declaration indicating it has been read and understood
To report any of the symptoms described above, or contact with anyone suffering from stomach or bowel problems to the supervisors immediately.
Not to handle or serve food until cleared to do so by your Supervisor.

Policy and Procedure

It is the policy of the Tanfield Railway to protect as far as reasonably practicable visitors from food‐borne illness, in particular by giving due regard to the relevant food hygiene regulations.
Volunteers who normally handle or serve food must tell their Supervisor/Manager immediately if they are suffering from any skin or nose infection (eg septic wounds, sores or boils), sore throat with fever, or stomach or intestinal ailment. (Afflictions such as colds, “ordinary” indigestion or constipation are not included.) It is essential to report any instance of vomiting and/or diarrhoea. Close contact with anyone else suffering from stomach or bowel complaints (eg other members of the family) must also be reported.
Volunteers referred to above above must not handle food for consumption by others until cleared as fit to do so by their Supervisor/Manager (or GP if they have been referred there). They should also try to stay out of the kitchen as far as is practicable, particularly when food is being prepared. This includes supervisors/managers themselves, who must delegate any food handling tasks they normally carry out.
Volunteers must be assessed by the Supervisor/Manager for their fitness to handle or serve food. This assessment is NOT intended to be a medical diagnosis by an unqualified person. It is an informed and commonsense evaluation of the likelihood of food being directly or indirectly contaminated by the co‐worker. If there is any doubt, the volunteers must be referred to his/her GP. In any case, the Supervisors/Manager must always err on the side of caution and prevent the co‐worker from handling or serving food if there is any risk that the safety of food may be compromised.
Cases of vomiting and/or diarrhoea must always be referred to a GP, who must be informed that the individual is a food handler.
In the case of vomiting and/or diarrhoea volunteers must not be allowed to handle or serve food until they have fully recovered and have been free of symptoms for 48 hours. They should also try to stay out of the kitchen. If they have been taking medication to prevent sickness or diarrhoea, they must have been symptom‐free for 48 hours after stopping the use of medication before returning to food handling duties.
Before a co‐worker returns to food handling duties, his/her fitness to do so must be re‐ assessed by the Supervisor/Manager. If, in the opinion of the Supervisor/Manager, the volunteer no longer presents a threat to food safety then he/she may be cleared to resume normal duties.

Sickness Absence Policy

General:

Responsibilities:

Supervisors

Volunteers

Policy and Procedure

Further Reading