Bare Hand Contact Policy

TO ALL FOOD ESTABLISHMENT OWNERS IN MOHAVE COUNTY:

As oft today the Mohave County Environmental Health Division has received reports from physicians of more than 125 confirmed cases of Hepatitis A in the Bullhead City / Laughlin area, as well as several other cases reported from Kingman and Lake Havasu areas.

In previous correspondence issued May 7, 1997 from the Health Department a request wag made that food managers voluntarily implement the use of gloves for all workers and increase training and surveillance of their food workers hand washing techniques for the next six weeks.

Unfortunately, the incidence of Hepatitis A has continued to increase. Hepatitis A is a serious inflammation of the liver caused by ingesting food or drink contaminated with the feces of an infected person. The Hepatitis A viru9 can remain on inanimate objects for up to two weeks. The only way to break the cycle is through an aggressive hand washing, hygiene and sanitation policy. In light of this, you are hereby notified that EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY a mandatory policy of good personal hygiene and safe food-handling practices will be required by the Mohave County Health Department. The following criteria will be strictly enforced:

1. FOOD EMPLOYEES MAY NOT CONTACT EXPOSED READY-TO-EAT FOOD WITH THEIR BARE HANDS AND SINGLE-USE (DISPOSABLE) GLOVES SHALL BE USED BY ALL FOOD HANDLERS ALONG WITH SUITABLE UTENSILS SUCH AS DELI TISSUE, SPATULAS, AND TONGS.
2. AS INSTRUCTED IN PREVIOUS CORRESPONDENCE FOOD EMPLOYEES SHALL WASH THEIR IIANDS AND EXPOSED PORTIONS OF THEIR ARMS WITH SOAP AND WARM WATER IN HAND WASHING SINK BY VIGOROUSLY RUBBING TOGETHER THE SURFACES OF THEIR LATHERED HANDS AND ARMS FOR A LEAST 20 SECONDS AND THOROUGHLY RINSING WITH CLEAN WATER. EMPLOYEES SHALL PAY PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO THE AREAS UNDERNEATH THE FINGERNALS AND BETWEEN THE FINGERS.

As the public is our main source of information, we take all citizen complaints about poor hygiene and lake of sanitation very seriously. Violations of this nature may lead to the suspension or revocation of your permit to operate.

Please contact the Environmental Health office with any questions regarding sanitation or hygiene at 758-0704, or contact the Nursing Division for questions about the Hepatitis A vaccine now available, or the immunoglobulin (IG) shots for persons who have close contact with another person diagnosed with Hepatitis at 758-0703.