Canteen and Kitchen Hygiene from an OHS Perspective

Why is canteen hygiene the workplace physician's business?

A single case of food poisoning in a factory canteen can affect hundreds of workers on the same day; in shift-based production this means a line stopping. Canteen hygiene is therefore a matter not only for food legislation but also for occupational health. Art. 9/2-a-5 of the Regulation on the Duties, Powers, Responsibilities and Training of Workplace Physicians and Other Health Personnel lists among the workplace physician's duties the continuous monitoring and inspection of the general hygiene of workplace buildings and annexes, including the canteen and dining hall, and advising on workers' nutritional needs and suitable drinking water. The same regulation also assigns the physician the task of providing the hygiene training needed to control infectious diseases and ensuring that examinations and tests are carried out (Art. 9/2-c-8). Other health personnel (DSP) work with the physician on this monitoring and inspection (Art. 16/2-e).

The canteen is often run by a catering company, but that does not remove the responsibility for hygiene inspection. Without ignoring the catering company's own food safety system, the physician inspects as an independent eye on behalf of the workplace's employees. In large factory canteens in Bursa and the surrounding provinces, this inspection should become more frequent and more structured as the number of daily meals grows.

Workplace kitchen inspection: the physician's checklist

A workplace kitchen inspection shows the true picture when it is unannounced and carried out at different times: at goods receipt, during cooking, at the end of service. The table below summarises the main points to check during an inspection.

Area	What is checked?	Which record is requested?
Goods receipt	Product temperature, packaging, expiry date, cleanliness of the vehicle	Goods receipt and rejection records
Cold store and fridges	Temperature, separation of raw and cooked, labels, contact with the floor	Daily temperature log
Preparation	Separate chopping boards, washing vegetables, thawing method	Cleaning and disinfection plan
Cooking and service	Cooking and holding temperature, bain-marie, service time	Temperature measurement records
Reference samples	A sample of each dish, label, storage conditions	Sample log
Staff	Handwashing, hair covers, clothing, jewellery, wounds, illness reporting	Hygiene training certificates, medical reports
Dishwashing and waste	Dishwasher temperature, detergent dosage, waste bins	Maintenance and chemical records
Pest control	Signs of pests, bait stations, gaps around doors and windows	Pest control reports
Dining hall	Table cleanliness, handwash basins, soap and towels	Cleaning schedule

Inspection findings are written down with the date, photographs and the person responsible, and at the next inspection it is checked whether they have been closed. Writing the workplace physician's inspection authority and the deadline for remedying findings into the contract with the catering company makes the job easier.

Cold chain and temperature control

Most foodborne illnesses arise from food being kept for long periods in the temperature range in which bacteria multiply rapidly. The World Health Organization's food safety recommendations advise keeping cooked food hot, above 60 °C, or cold, below 5 °C, and not leaving cooked food at room temperature for more than two hours. In a canteen inspection, this principle turns into the following questions:

Is the temperature of chilled products measured at goods receipt? The person receiving goods should have a thermometer and the authority to reject.
Are the fridge thermometers working, and are the records genuine? A log showing the same figure every day is a sign that no measurement is being made.
How is frozen food thawed? Planned thawing in the fridge is preferred over thawing at room temperature on the counter.
How long does cooked food wait before service? Food cooked early and kept lukewarm for a long time is risky, especially rice, minced meat and chicken dishes.
Is temperature maintained for transported meals? The temperature of food arriving from a central kitchen is measured and recorded when it reaches the workplace.

Canteen reference samples: why and how are they kept?

A reference sample is the most reliable way to find which dish was responsible when food poisoning is suspected. The official sampling procedure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry requires businesses producing meals for mass consumption to keep a sample of each dish in a batch for 72 hours under suitable conditions, chilled or frozen; the recommended quantity is 250 grams.

The points the physician checks for reference samples during a canteen inspection are:

Is a sample taken of every dish at every meal? Taking a sample of the main dish alone is not enough; salad, dessert and drinks can also be a source of poisoning.
Is the sample in a clean, closed and labelled container? The label should state the name of the dish, the date and the meal.
Are samples kept in a separate compartment, without mixing with other food?
Are they not thrown away before the storage period has ended? Meals before weekends and public holidays are checked in particular.
Is there a sample log, and can it be shown at an inspection?

Staff in mass catering hygiene: hands, clothing and wounds

The weakest link in mass catering hygiene is often not the equipment but people. The Regulation on Hygiene Training covers workplace and institutional canteens and states that the following persons may not work, and may not be employed, until it is documented by a medical report that they have recovered or are not infectious (Art. 9):

Those who have a disease that can be carried by food, or are carriers of such a disease, and those with diarrhoea,
Those with open or infected wounds or skin infections on visible parts of the body,
Those with diseases listed in the infectious diseases legislation that could become a public health problem if hygiene rules are not followed.

The same article also states that workers are obliged to report their illnesses to the employer. For this provision to work on site:

Kitchen workers are told clearly that they can report diarrhoea and vomiting without embarrassment and will not be penalised for it.
The handwash basin is used only for washing hands; soap, paper towels and a lidded bin are always available.
Gloves do not replace handwashing; salad is not prepared with the same gloves after handling raw meat.
Jewellery, watches and rings are not worn in the kitchen; the hair cover covers all the hair.

For hygiene training of kitchen workers see our article on the hygiene training certificate, and for screening for carrier status see our article on the carrier examination.

Kitchen worker health: burns, cuts and skin health

The health of kitchen workers is the other side of the physician's canteen inspection. Burns and cuts are the most common injuries in the kitchen and are directly linked to hygiene: a cook with an open cut on the hand both exposes their own wound to infection and can carry germs to the food.

The arrangement the physician recommends is as follows:

For cuts, the decision rests with the physician. The regulation treats an open or infected wound in a visible place as a bar to working. If the physician considers working acceptable with a small, clean cut, the wound is covered with a waterproof, brightly coloured plaster and a glove is worn over it. If the wound is large, weeping or looks infected, the worker is taken off work involving contact with food.
For burns, first aid is cooling the area under running water for a long time; burn supplies are kept in the first aid cabinet.
Wet work and detergents cause irritation and eczema of the skin of the hands. Suitable gloves for dishwashing, moisturiser after work and correct detergent dosage are recommended. For details see our article on occupational dermatitis.
Hot environment: Drinking water, ventilation and short breaks are planned for those working at the stove for long periods.

We covered the technical measures against kitchen accidents such as burns, cuts, slips and class F cooking oil fires in detail in our article on cooks and kitchen workers.

After the inspection: findings, the catering company and follow-up

An inspection is useless if it does not produce a report. Findings fall into three groups:

To be stopped immediately: Faulty refrigeration, out-of-date products, staff with diarrhoea. These are resolved the same day.
To be remedied shortly: Missing temperature records, unlabelled samples, broken tiles. The catering company is given a deadline.
System improvements: Training, menu planning, transport equipment. These are taken to the OHS committee agenda.

The training, health surveillance and participation in emergency arrangements of the catering company's own workers is a separate matter; it needs to be written clearly into the contract. For other risks in the food sector, see our food page. We plan canteen and kitchen inspections at regular intervals as part of our workplace physician service; for details see our workplace physician page.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who carries out the canteen inspection?

The workplace physician is responsible for continuously monitoring and inspecting the general hygiene of the canteen and dining hall; other health personnel work with the physician on this. The catering company's own food safety checks do not replace this inspection.

How many days is a reference sample kept?

According to the official sampling procedure of the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, businesses producing meals for mass consumption keep a sample of each dish for 72 hours, chilled or frozen. The recommended quantity is 250 grams.

Can a kitchen worker with diarrhoea work?

No. Under Art. 9 of the Regulation on Hygiene Training, people with diarrhoea may not work, and may not be employed, in covered workplaces such as canteens until they document with a medical report that they have recovered or are not infectious.

Can a cook with a cut on the hand work?

The Regulation on Hygiene Training states that those with open or infected wounds in visible places may not work until recovery is documented by a medical report. For a small cut, the workplace physician decides; if acceptable, the wound is covered with a waterproof plaster and a glove is worn.