Health and Social Unit 1

P2 – Outline how legislation, policies and procedures relating to health, safety and security influence health and social care settings 1. Outline key points of at least 3 policies and procedures by summarising the main points and recording them on the chart

The Food Safety 1990 Policy
Procedure
The first policy is that all employees and volunteers who handle food must maintain a high standard of personal hygiene at all times. This is important so that people’s health is never at risk.
All staff must ensure that they follow the procedures to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene. They must: - Wash their hands thoroughly and then use a clean towel or a disposable tissue.
- If any members of staff have long hair, they must tie it back.
- Members of staff who handle food must not scratch themselves or lick their fingers.
- All staff that have any viruses and infections must not be able to prepare any food.
- Only blue plasters must be used on open wounds. The next policy is to maintain a clean, organised kitchen environment at all times. To use the correct chemicals when cleaning (COSSH 2002)
The procedure to follow this is to make sure that: - All floors, walls, ceilings and tables are cleaned using the correct cleaning products. (COSSH 2002)
- Staff should make sure that floor is not slippery and if anything is spilt it should be cleaned up right away.
- All cups, plates and cutlery must be clean.
- There should be a cleaning rota, which must be followed by all staff.
- Staff should wear gloves.

The last policy is that cross contamination (microbes being spread from one food to another) should be prevented so bacteria doesn’t spread and people’s health is not at risk.
The procedure to follow this is to make sure that: - All utensils are clean before using them, including chopping boards and knives.
- Food is stored correctly, in cupboards or refrigerated
- Food in fridge is stored the correct way (so raw foods do not come into contact with food which has already been cooked)
- Regular checks, so food out of date is chucked away

2. Research the requirements of legislation and guidelines and reflect if they are met in the policies and procedures. From my research I have read that the Food Safety Act 1990 make it an offence for anyone to sell or process food for sale, which is harmful to health. They also place an obligation on business to ensure that their activities are carried out in a hygienic way. Sources http://www.staffordbc.gov.uk/food-safety---food-regulations This means that all food that they prepare must be prepared properly, so that people’s health is never at risk. This includes, washing hands regularly, preventing cross contamination and keep the kitchen clean and organized. The act also ensures that food is stored properly, at the correct temperatures too. It also mentions that raw meats should be stored below cooked/ready to eat foods. I have also read in the guidelines of the legislation that all food must be checked for it’s ‘best before’ and that it is illegal to offer food past its use by date, or to use such food as ingredients in catering premise. This means if I were preparing food for a care home, I would have to make sure that the food I am serving is not out of date as this could be a risk to the service users health. The act prevents cases of food poisoning, ensuring that all areas are clean and all staff has high standards of personal hygiene. Some of the policies and procedures apart of the Food Safety Act are that it is vital that all food is stored and cooked properly; the people handling food should ensure that cross contamination is prevented. There personal hygiene should be of high standards and cooking areas clean. When doing my research, I came across ‘Zigzag pre-school’ they also follow a policy and procedure for food handling. They have a responsibility to maintain acceptable levels of hygiene and health and safety with respect to food. All the employees and volunteers, who handle food, have a responsibility to maintain a high standard of personal hygiene and if they are suffering from a infection they should not be allowed to handle food, to protect other’s health.