United States
Hong KongHandwashing Requirements
Food workers wash at a dedicated handwashing sink for at least 20 seconds total, including 10 to 15 seconds of vigorous scrubbing.
- Under the 2026 FDA model, that sink must be equipped to provide running water at least 85°F (29.4°C).
- Hand antiseptic follows washing; it does not replace it.
On this page6 sections
Handwashing is the single most effective control in a food establishment, and it is the one the exam expects you to know in more detail than you probably do.
The procedure
- Wet hands and exposed arms with running water at the handwashing sink.
- Apply soap.
- Scrub vigorously for 10 to 15 seconds, including under the fingernails and between the fingers.
- Rinse thoroughly.
- Dry with a single-use towel or a hand dryer.
Twenty seconds total, of which 10 to 15 are the scrub. Both figures appear in questions, sometimes as a pair, so hold them separately.
When
- Before starting work and before putting on gloves
- After using the toilet
- After handling raw meat, poultry or fish
- After touching the face, hair, body or clothing
- After coughing, sneezing or using a tissue
- After eating, drinking or using tobacco
- After handling rubbish or cleaning chemicals
- After handling money
- After clearing tables or handling dirty dishes
- Between any change of task
Between tasks is the one that carries the marks, because it covers the scenario questions - the cook who breaks eggs and then plates a salad, the server who clears a table and then carries bread.
The sink
A handwashing sink is for handwashing. Not for rinsing lettuce, not for filling a mop bucket, not for thawing, not for dumping a jug of coffee.
It must be accessible, supplied with soap and a drying method, and equipped to provide running water at least 85°F (29.4°C) through a mixing valve or combination faucet under the 2026 FDA model. A waste receptacle is needed where disposable towels are used.
An inspector finding a bin in front of the handwashing sink writes it up, because a sink you have to move something to use is a sink people stop using. Questions about a blocked sink are asking whether you understand that.
Gloves
Gloves are a barrier for ready-to-eat food, not a substitute for washing. You wash, dry, then glove.
Change them when they tear, when the task changes, after handling raw animal food, and after any interruption. Wash hands again when you change them, because removing a glove contaminates the hand.
Hand antiseptic
Permitted after handwashing. Never instead of it, because sanitizer does not remove soil and does not work well on hands that have any.
It is also poor against norovirus, which is one of the Big 6 and among the most common causes of restaurant outbreaks. That is the reason the rule is written the way it is.
Nails, jewelry, wounds
Fingernails trimmed and filed, unpolished and without artificial nails unless gloves are worn. Hand and arm jewelry removed, with a plain ring band the usual exception. A cut on the hand is covered with an impermeable bandage and a single-use glove over it.
Common questions
How long should food workers wash their hands?
Twenty seconds in total, with 10 to 15 seconds of vigorous scrubbing. Both figures are examinable, and questions sometimes give one and ask for the other.
What temperature should handwashing water be?
The 2026 FDA Food Code requires the handwashing sink to be equipped to provide water at least 85°F (29.4°C) through a mixing valve or combination faucet. This is a fixture capability requirement, not an instruction to measure the exact temperature used in each wash. Check the locally adopted code.
Can you use a handwashing sink for anything else?
No. Not for rinsing produce, filling buckets, thawing or dumping liquids. It must also be kept clear - a sink blocked by boxes counts as inaccessible and is written up as a violation.
Do gloves replace handwashing?
No. You wash and dry your hands before putting gloves on, and again after taking them off, because removing a glove contaminates the hand.
Can you wear artificial nails in a kitchen?
Only when wearing gloves. Nails must otherwise be trimmed, filed and unpolished, because polish chips into food and artificial nails harbor bacteria and can detach.