United States
Hong KongWhat the person in charge must report, and to whom
A food employee reports symptoms and diagnoses to the person in charge. The person in charge reports jaundice and any Big 6 diagnosis to the regulatory authority. The chain runs upward, and skipping a step is a violation in either direction.
This is a short topic with an unusually high hit rate, because it is easy to write a question about and easy to get wrong under pressure.
The chain
Employee, then person in charge, then regulatory authority. Three links, always in that order.
An answer where the employee telephones the health department is describing a chain that skips the middle. An answer where the manager decides not to pass on a jaundice case is describing one that breaks it.
What the employee reports
- Symptoms: vomiting, diarrhoea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, and infected wounds or lesions containing pus.
- Diagnoses: any of the Big 6 - Norovirus, Hepatitis A, Shigella, Shiga toxin-producing E. coli, Salmonella Typhi, non-typhoidal Salmonella.
- Exposure: having lived with, cared for, or eaten food prepared by a person diagnosed with one of those.
The third bullet is the one people miss. Household exposure is reportable even when the employee has no symptoms at all.
What the person in charge reports onward
Jaundice, and any Big 6 diagnosis. Ordinary vomiting with no diagnosis is handled by exclusion; it is not phoned in.
Jaundice is the one to remember, because it is a symptom rather than a diagnosis and it still triggers a report. Onset within the last seven days is the threshold.
It is the visible sign of Hepatitis A, which has a long incubation period and spreads readily from an infected food worker. By the time jaundice appears, the person has usually been infectious for a while - so the report is about the days before, not the day itself.
The employee health agreement
A written, signed acknowledgement that staff understand what to report and to whom. It is the document an inspector asks for, and it is what makes the first link in the chain enforceable rather than aspirational.
New staff sign it at induction. Existing staff sign it when it changes. Keeping the signed copies is part of the record-keeping the exam expects a manager to have.
The other duties of the person in charge
The Code lists a long set of them, and they are worth skimming once because several appear as answer options.
- Be present during all hours of operation.
- Demonstrate knowledge of foodborne illness prevention and this Code.
- Restrict access by unauthorized persons to preparation areas.
- Ensure employees are washing hands properly.
- Ensure food is received from approved sources and at correct temperatures.
- Ensure employees are informed of their reporting responsibilities.
- Ensure corrective action is taken when a control fails.
The certificate you are sitting for is one of the accepted ways to demonstrate that second item. That is, in the end, the reason the exam exists.
Common questions
Who does a food employee report illness to?
The person in charge. The person in charge then reports jaundice and any Big 6 diagnosis onward to the regulatory authority. The chain runs upward and skipping a link is a violation.
Does an employee have to report household exposure?
Yes. Living with, caring for, or eating food prepared by someone diagnosed with a Big 6 pathogen is reportable even when the employee has no symptoms.
Why is jaundice reported when vomiting is not?
Jaundice is the visible sign of Hepatitis A, which spreads readily from food workers and has a long incubation period. The report concerns the infectious days before the symptom appeared.
What is an employee health agreement?
A written, signed acknowledgement that staff understand which symptoms and diagnoses to report and to whom. Inspectors ask to see the signed copies, and it is what makes the reporting requirement enforceable.
Must the person in charge be present at all times?
During all hours of operation, yes. Being reachable by telephone does not satisfy the requirement, and the exam offers that as a plausible wrong answer.