You have been changing the guest heads, you have taken the bins out, you have wiped down a sun-lounger, and now the chef needs a hand plating twelve starters. You have a moment at the sink. What you do in that moment is the most effective food safety control that exists.
Handwashing - the technique and the timing
Wash at a dedicated hand-wash basin where one exists, with warm running water, liquid soap and a hygienic drying method (paper towel or hot air). Wet, soap, rub for at least 20 seconds covering palms, backs, between fingers, thumbs, fingertips and nails, rinse and dry. Wet hands transfer bacteria far more readily than dry hands - drying is part of the wash, not an afterthought.
Wash before:
- Starting work and entering the galley
- Handling any ready-to-eat food
- Handling any food after any break
Wash after:
- Using the heads
- Handling raw meat, fish, poultry, eggs or unwashed vegetables
- Handling waste, cleaning, or handling chemicals
- Coughing, sneezing, blowing your nose, touching your face or hair
- Eating, drinking, smoking or vaping
- Handling money, phones, packaging or dock lines
Gloves are not a substitute for handwashing. They get contaminated exactly like hands. Change them between tasks, and wash your hands before putting them on and after taking them off.
Personal standards
| Item | Rule |
|---|---|
| Hair | Clean, tied back, fully covered by a hat or net. No brushing or touching in the galley |
| Jewellery | Remove. A plain wedding band is generally the only exception; no stones, watches, bracelets or piercings |
| Nails | Short, clean, no nail varnish, no false nails (both are physical and allergen hazards) |
| Cuts and wounds | Cover completely with a blue, detectable, waterproof dressing; wear a glove over a hand wound |
| Perfume/aftershave | Avoid - it taints food |
| Behaviour | No spitting, no touching the face or nose, no coughing over food, no tasting with the cooking spoon and returning it, no eating in the galley |
Illness and fitness to work
Report to your supervisor before starting work if you have:
- Vomiting or diarrhoea - you must be excluded from food handling and remain excluded until 48 hours symptom-free (without medication masking symptoms)
- A diagnosed food-borne illness (Norovirus, Salmonella, Campylobacter, E. coli O157)
- Infected cuts, boils, septic spots, skin infections
- Discharge from eyes, ears, nose or mouth; heavy cold or sore throat
- Recent close contact with anyone suffering vomiting or diarrhoea, or travel from an area with a known outbreak
Fitness to work is a declaration, and on a commercially operated yacht it should be recorded.
Protective clothing
Clean, light-coloured, without external pockets, worn only for food work. Put it on in the galley area, not in the crew mess and not on the dock. Change it when soiled. Never wear galley whites to take out the rubbish, work on deck, or handle lines and then return to plate a dish. Wear closed, non-slip footwear.
Onboard Notes
Yacht life makes exclusion painful: a crew of six cannot lose a stew for 48 hours mid-charter. Plan for it - the exclusion rule is not negotiable, and a stew who "pushed through" is how a two-person Norovirus becomes a fourteen-person one. Reassign the sick crew member to cabin turndown-free, food-free, guest-free duties, or berth them ashore. Watch the galley hand-wash basin: on small yachts it is often the same sink used for washing salad and rinsing pans, so if you must share it, clean and disinfect it between uses and be religious about the sequence.
Scope note: xplor is not an approved centre or an accredited training provider. This lesson is preparatory study only - no certificate and no regulated qualification is awarded here, and the Level 2 food safety award must be sat and assessed with an approved centre of a regulated awarding organisation.