21 CFR 117.10 - Personnel

What it says

Plant management must take reasonable measures and precautions to make sure personnel do not contaminate food. This includes excluding people with illnesses, open lesions or other sources of microbial contamination from operations where they could contaminate food or food-contact surfaces, requiring hygienic practices such as handwashing, and making sure personnel have the education, training or experience, and supervision, to do their jobs.

Paraphrased for plain-language clarity. Always verify against the current published regulation text.

What it means in practice

• Employee health policies should tell workers to report illness, and managers should know what to do when they do.
• Hygiene rules cover handwashing, clothing, hair restraints, jewelry, gloves and limits on eating and drinking in production areas.
• Training should be documented, and it should cover both food hygiene and the specific tasks the person performs.

What FDA inspectors look for

• Whether illness reporting and exclusion procedures exist and are used.
• Whether employees follow handwashing and clothing rules on the floor.
• Whether training records show that personnel are qualified for their tasks.

Related regulations