United States
Hong KongPhysical hazards: glass, metal, bone and jewelry
Physical hazards are foreign objects that can injure - glass, metal, plastic, bone, stones, jewelry, fingernails, hair and bandages. Prevention is largely structural: shielded bulbs, maintained equipment, restrained hair and removed jewelry.
Of the three hazard types this is the one candidates skim, and it is the one with the most immediate consequence for a customer.
Where they come from
| Hazard | Usual source |
|---|---|
| Glass | Unshielded bulbs, broken glassware, thermometers, jars |
| Metal | Damaged equipment, worn can openers, staples in packaging, scouring pads |
| Plastic | Broken containers, packaging fragments, worn cutting boards |
| Bone and shell | Preparation, and the reason a menu description matters |
| Jewelry | Rings, earrings, watches, piercings |
| Personal items | Fingernails and polish, hair, bandages, buttons, pen caps |
The right-hand column is the useful half, because each source has a control attached to it.
Why jewelry is a Code provision
It reads as a dress code and it is not. A ring with a stone can lose the stone into a dough. An earring falls into a pot. A watch strap holds soil that hand washing does not reach.
Hence: no jewelry on hands or arms while preparing food, except a plain ring band. Hair restrained. Fingernails trimmed, filed and unpolished unless gloves are worn.
A worn can opener blade sheds metal fragments into every can it opens. It is the classic physical hazard question because the equipment looks fine, works fine, and is checked by nobody.
Glass in particular
The worst physical hazard, because fragments are small, sharp and hard to find.
Which is why bulbs above exposed food are shielded, why glass containers are discouraged near preparation, and why ice is never scooped with a glass. That last one is a specific provision: a glass used as a scoop can chip inside the ice bin, and nobody will find the chip.
What to do when glass breaks
- Stop work in the area.
- Discard any exposed food nearby, generously.
- Clean the area thoroughly, including surfaces you think were out of range.
- Discard the ice in any bin that could have been affected - all of it.
- Check for fragments in equipment before restarting.
The ice point is worth repeating, because emptying an ice machine on a busy night is exactly the corrective action people talk themselves out of.
Bandages
A wound on the hand is covered with an impermeable bandage and a single-use glove over it. The glove is there partly to keep the bandage out of the food, which makes this both a hygiene and a physical hazard rule.
Common questions
What are physical hazards in food?
Foreign objects capable of injuring someone - glass, metal, plastic, bone, stones, jewelry, fingernails, hair and bandages. They are the hazard type with the most immediate consequence for a customer.
Why is jewelry banned in kitchens?
Because it falls into food and holds soil that handwashing does not reach. A plain ring band is the usual exception; other hand and arm jewelry comes off while preparing food.
Can you scoop ice with a glass?
No. A glass can chip inside the ice bin, and nobody will find the fragment. Use a scoop with a handle, stored outside the machine.
What do you do if glass breaks near food?
Stop work, discard exposed food generously, clean the area thoroughly including surfaces you think were out of range, discard all ice in any affected bin, and check equipment for fragments before restarting.
How should a cut on the hand be covered?
With an impermeable bandage and a single-use glove over it. The glove keeps the bandage out of the food, which makes it a physical hazard control as well as a hygiene one.