Regulations and activity bans
Information on hygiene instruction: regulations and activity ban
In principle, the following applies: Persons who commercially produce, handle or place the following foodstuffs on the market:
- Meat, poultry meat and products thereof
- Milk and milk-based products
- Fish, crustaceans or molluscs and products thereof
- Egg products
- Infant or toddler food
- Ice cream and semi-finished ice cream products
- Baked goods with underbaked or undercooked filling or topping
- Delicatessen, raw food and potato salads, marinades, mayonnaises, other emulsified sauces, nutritional yeasts
- Sprouts and seedlings for raw consumption and seeds for the production of sprouts and seedlings for raw consumption
and come into contact with them directly (by hand) or indirectly via utensils (e.g. crockery, cutlery and other work materials), or work in kitchens in pubs, restaurants, canteens, cafés or other facilities with or for communal catering, require a certificate from their health authority in accordance with Section 43 (1) of the Infection Protection Act before carrying out these activities for the first time. This must be deposited with the employer.
What measures should be taken before starting work?
The aim of the instruction in accordance with Section 43 (1) of the Infection Protection Act is to recognise signs of infection in employees at an early stage and to prevent its transmission via food to other consumers. Regardless of whether a fee is paid for the activities, persons are not permitted to carry out the activities listed above if there are certain obstacles. These persons should be informed of this before commencing their activities.
What obstacles lead to a ban on work or employment?
The Infection Protection Act stipulates that the above-mentioned activities may not be carried out (activity ban) if these persons show signs of illness (symptoms) that indicate one of the following illnesses or that a doctor has diagnosed in them:
- Acute infectious gastroenteritis (sudden, infectious diarrhoea) caused by salmonella, shigella, cholera bacteria, staphylococci, campylobacter, rotaviruses, noroviruses or other diarrhoea pathogens.
- Typhoid or paratyphoid fever
- Viral hepatitis A or E (liver inflammation)
- In the case of infected wounds, purulent diseases in the mouth and/or throat or skin diseases where there is a possibility that their pathogens can be transmitted to other people via
food.
- Or the examination of a stool sample has revealed the presence of one of the following pathogens:
- Salmonella
- Shigella
- Enterohaemorrhagic Escherichiacoli bacteria
- Cholera vibrio
If these bacteria are excreted (even without feeling ill), there is also an automatic ban on working in the food sector.
How do I recognise that I have one of these diseases?
Nausea, vomiting, fever and/or more than two thin bowel movements a day are often unmistakable signs of an infection caused by bacteria or viruses. Therefore, please consult your paediatrician, family doctor or company doctor for clarification and inform your employer.