16 replies to this topic

[jkat3286]

Hello Everyone

 

I have been going back and forth while updating some of our personal hygiene GMP's on the issue of being able to wear hairnets when using the restroom and then returning to the production floor. I work in a very large food manufacturing plant and we are preparing for our first SQF audit. Most of the issues we face are pretty straight forward but I'm not sure about the ruling on being able to wear hairnets in the restroom. If you have any guidance I would really appreciate it.

 

Thanks 

[Simon]

An important detail required.  

 

Do they remove other hygienic work-wear prior to using the restroom?

 

Regards,

Simon

[BrummyJim]

I've never worked at a place where it was permitted. It doesn't sound right to me.

[Dr Vu]

depends on your product risk .. i would say..

 

 previous place i was orking risk wasnt really with micros but wilth foreign material. hair in particular.. and we ended up allowing hairnets in lunchrooms and washrooms and our hair complaints went significantly down...no auditor objected as we justified it pretty well.

[qalearner]

Hmm, I have never worked in a place where hairnets needed to be removed. Workers wore them everywhere. Do you have people change their footwear before and after entering the washroom?

[Dr Vu]

yeah  hair comes off,, sits on the shoulders and ends up in the product..

[ladytygrr]

Thank you for asking this question, jkat. This is something that has been a topic of discussion around here. If we are removing our lab coats before using the restroom, why would we leave our hairnets on? Someone here mentioned taking hair nets off and then hair will fall on your shoulders, etc. But if you're removing the rest of your PPE, is there really more risk during the bathroom break or lunch break of hair falling onto shoulders than there is when they are arriving in the morning?

[jkat3286]

It seems we all have the same questions lol. Employees are required to remove all other PPE when entering the restroom and I have also brought up the issue of having a station to sanitize boots before they re-enter production. We have also had issues with hair but we use lint rollers frequently and that has really helped and also they should never be wearing their lab coats without putting a hairnet on first. I too believe that if it is enough of a risk that the lab coat must remain outside the restroom why does this same logic not apply to the hairnet?

 

Thank you everyone for the input it seems like i'm not the only one finding this rule to be unclear.

[RMAV]

I'd change hairnets.  If for nothing else, hairnets get worn throughout the workday and need replaced anyway.  Other than perhaps a very small contingent of product types where "hair falling on shoulders from a hairnet" would pose a significant risk, I'd think a bigger risk is having a worn-out hairnet.

[Ray Arcillas]

Years ago, I watched an episode in Oprah where Dr. OZ was talking about poop. He said that when one flushes the toilet, minute poop particles are sent airborne, thus spreading fecal matter. He even advised not to store toothbrushes near toilet bowls. They even made micro tests on toothbrushes and other surfaces/things near the toilet bowl and found them positive for fecal matter. 

[Charles.C]

Years ago, I watched an episode in Oprah where Dr. OZ was talking about poop. He said that when one flushes the toilet, minute poop particles are sent airborne, thus spreading fecal matter. He even advised not to store toothbrushes near toilet bowls. They even made micro tests on toothbrushes and other surfaces/things near the toilet bowl and found them positive for fecal matter. 

 

Hi Ray,

 

Slightly OT but interesting.

 

Yes Indeed. i have also never seen anyone in a factory cleaning the trigger for flushing the toilet, or the inside doorknob. Maybe solved by gymnastics but i doubt it.

[WayneFiorelli]

Years ago, I watched an episode in Oprah where Dr. OZ was talking about poop. He said that when one flushes the toilet, minute poop particles are sent airborne, thus spreading fecal matter. He even advised not to store toothbrushes near toilet bowls. They even made micro tests on toothbrushes and other surfaces/things near the toilet bowl and found them positive for fecal matter. 

 

To add to this, I saw a fecal coliform analysis on an episode of Mythbusters years ago. (I don't know how credible they are, but the study and the science of it seemed legitimate. They discovered that fecal coliforms grew inside a persons house no matter what but were most concentrated in the restroom. They found them in the bedroom, kitchen, hallways, all which were not directly connected to a restroom. 

 

My SQF consultant told me to remove and replace all PPE whenever going to the restroom. It's just a safer practice.

[JohnWheat]

We insist that headgear is NOT disturbed from start of shift to end of shift. The general consensus being that loose hair being disturbed. Since introducing we have not had 1complaint or find.  

Bear in mind bump hats and hard hats are also worn.

[Ray Arcillas]

@ Mr. WayneFlorelli: Coliforms are everywhere. At home, most likely they are spread by us, humans.  Please check this out

 

http://water.epa.gov...ring/vms511.cfm

 

@ Mr. Charles C. : Indeed it is interesting. I am trying to point our Sir, in an indirect manner that during flushing toilet, personnel uniforms, hairnets, etc can possibly get contaminated with minute fecal matter as per the statements of Dr. Oz.  

 

Cheers,

Ray

[herdy]

I think it depends on your product and your other GMPs. I work for a food packaging manufacturing plant now (but was a microbiologist by education and previous job - all of that about toilet flushing and fecal colifroms are true: always put the lid down before flushing! You're teeth will thank you) and here, people where their hair nets into the restroom. But I don't have a problem with this because they must clean their hands every single time they touch their hair/ hair net, even while out on the line, and they are very good about this. Our SQF auditor has said nothing about it and we are Level 3 certified with an Excellent score. But, we don't work with a risky product. I could see that if you worked with RTE or didn't have easy access to wash stations, the policy of taking off the hair net may be more useful.

[Charles.C]

@ Mr. WayneFlorelli: Coliforms are everywhere. At home, most likely they are spread by us, humans.  Please check this out

 

http://water.epa.gov...ring/vms511.cfm

 

@ Mr. Charles C. : Indeed it is interesting. I am trying to point our Sir, in an indirect manner that during flushing toilet, personnel uniforms, hairnets, etc can possibly get contaminated with minute fecal matter as per the statements of Dr. Oz.  

 

Cheers,

Ray

 

Hi Ray,

 

Dont forget, as per yr link -

 

There are Coliforms, and then there are fecal Coliforms, albeit it's a slightly out-dated terminology and E.coli is a preferred indicator.

[ctzinck]

I work for a food packaging converter and we wear our hairnets during the entire shift, if it becomes torn or worn you should change it but we have never addressed changing hairnets after using the restroom, The only PPE we require are hair/beard nets, safety glasses/shields and steel toe boots, otherwise we are in street clothes. if I change my hairnet should i also change my shirt, my pants, should I carry an extra pair of prescription eyeglasses so I can change them too? 

 

as someone stated above it depends on your product risk....