Is it ok to wear uniforms outside of production?

We are now doing changed clothes before entering production area. Were changing our street clothes when entering the plant, as well as when taking break on the way to canteen and comfort room and the effect, time is consumed when changing from working to street clothes and vice versa. Is it okay to wear working clothes while inside plant premises and change only when going home or when entering the plant? TIA

Hi Yaba,

It depends on what risks you are trying to mitigate wearing your work clothes.
In a warehouse with only sealed product it may be acceptable to have staff take breaks in work-gear. Because they are wearing the work clothes to protect themselves more than the product.
However in a production plant it is unacceptable to take a break wearing your (high care) work clothes. You may cause cross-contamination (allergenes) which can cause big problems for the safety of your products.
You could (if you do not already) allow your low care workers to keep their work-boots/pants on during break (depending on the risk!). So they only change out of their coats. Might save at least some hassle for some people.

Good luck!

Many facilities use coats/smocks. Either they can be washable or disposable. You take them off while on break.

i would say - depend on what product and what allergens you are handling. best is to do the risk assessment and decide. we are a bakery and we remove the clothing for outside and canteen, but we do not have to change shoes. some of the emplyees are allowed outside in their clothing (despatch), but not allowed in production.

all depends on what you do and what you want to achieve.

Agree 100% with the above that it's based on risk.

For example:

• Company A makes ready to eat product sold directly to retirement communities and pre-schools. Company A has a strict captive uniform policy, it must be removed prior to lunch and can not leave production changing area unless worn into restricted production room. Why? They are not trying to put some poor kid into anaphylactic shock because food production worker C is a messy eater and loves Peanuty McPeanuts in his lunch.

• Company B makes non-contact food packaging. They have a GMP policy in place to wash their hands after (lunchbreaks, restroom, smoke breaks, etc.) but they have no captive uniform program. Why? Because the risk involved is so small that it's insignificant.