Employee hygiene is important to any business, but to
those that serve or prepare food and to those that work
with people it is crucial. If you own a business with strict
OSHA laws on employee hygiene, it is imperative that you
enforce them with your employees. If you do not follow
these laws, you will be liable. And you risk having your
business shut down for good or dealing with the guilt (and
perhaps legal effects) of making your customers ill.
What Rights Do I have On Employee Hygiene?
As an employer, you have the right to demand that your
employees keep themselves as hygienic as possible. If you
work in the food industry, this means your employees must
wash their hands every time after using the rest room.
You must encourage them to wash their hands often throughout
the day. A part of your employee hygiene protocol may also
include wearing hairnets or gloves while preparing food.
If your business involves working with other people, like
in nursing, you also have the right and duty to demand
that your employees wear clean clothing and that they wash
their hands frequently. Your employee hygiene policy should
include washing their hands after working with each patient,
particularly if the nurse helps the patient use the rest
room, changes any dressings or gets equipment out for the
patient. Failure for nurses to follow employee hygiene
procedures can spread illness among patients. For those
with a compromised immune system, the added germs can be
deadly.
Even if you don’t own a business that involves working
with food or with patients, you still have the right to
demand a certain level of hygiene from your employees.
As an employer, you can demand that your employees remain
presentable always, are free of body odor, and are clean.
How Do I Enforce My Employee Hygiene Policy?
You should present your employee hygiene policy in writing
to each of your newly hired workers. This policy should
clearly explain expectations of employee hygiene. For example,
you might include when the employees must wash their hands,
when they should wear gloves, when they should wear a hairnet,
and what clothing is and is not acceptable to wear. You
might also wish to ban the use of cologne since the scent
can be irritating to certain customers and patients.
Besides describing expectations, the employee hygiene
policy should also detail the repercussions of ignoring
these rules. You can be precise, such as list an exact
number of days a person might be suspended for breaking
the rules. Or, you can be more vague, by providing a range
of possible repercussions. Be sure to take some time when
creating the employee hygiene policy because it will be
your guideline when it comes to disciplining employees
that choose to ignore it.
Once you have created an employee hygiene policy, present
this information to your employees. In addition, they should
sign a paper documenting that they have received a copy
of it. Then, when an issue does arise, consult this policy
to decide the action you will take in response to your
employee’s lack of proper hygiene.
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