15 replies to this topic

[Andy_Yellows]

Hi all, looking to get some advice from those working in distribution sites regarding vehicle drivers' handwashing and general hygiene. We've been asked to clarify in our hygiene policy how drivers are to eat, drink or smoke while on the road and maintain good hygiene (i.e. clean their hands) and now I'm a bit stumped.

 

Drivers aren't allows to smoke inside company vehicles and we send our drivers out with hand santiser but we all know this doesn't do the same job as proper handwashing under running water and certainly wouldn't be enough to remove allergens. What sort of policies do you guys have in place for this?

 

Thanks,

Andy

Edited by Andy_Yellows, 12 May 2025 - 12:52 PM.

[TimG]

"We've been asked to clarify in our hygiene policy" to try to determine intent behind this request, who asked and why?

[Setanta]

Are the drivers handling uncovered product? Do they enter other facilities' production area? 

I don't see the importance of this.

[marco89634]

Hi Andy, hand washing is fundamental: it is required by Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 and explicitly demanded by GFSI standards such as BRCGS Issue 9 paragraph 4.5 and IFS Logistics v2.3  paragraph 4. Technical guidelines (best practice) recommend following the five classic steps—rubbing with soap for at least 20 seconds, using warm water around 30–40 °C and drying with disposable material—to achieve maximum effectiveness. These steps are essential for removing allergens, something that disinfectant gel does not do well; therefore gel may be used only after washing or in emergencies when hands are visibly clean.

 

The operator must wash their hands mandatorily before starting loading/unloading operations, after breaks or meals or smoking, after using the restroom, after touching dirty or potentially contaminated surfaces, after completing loading/unloading operations, and after removing potentially contaminated PPE. Specific precautions, including single-use gloves (to be changed at least every hour, after each loading/unloading operation, if damaged, or when changing significant tasks), must be selected according to a documented risk matrix based on objective criteria such as product type, packaging, destination and other relevant factors.

To ensure access to water, the operator should have either portable sinks on board (minimum capacity 20 L, equipped to keep water warm even in winter—at least 25 °C—with documented maintenance and water replacement every 24 hours or at shift end) or an up-to-date map of rest areas with facilities. Rules on food, drink and smoking are strict: these activities are allowed only during designated breaks, never during operations; smoking must occur at a safe distance (minimum 10 m) and hands must always be washed afterward.

For high-risk loads, certain foods must be banned from the cabin and a thorough cleaning must be carried out according to the sanitization plan, which defines minimum frequency (e.g. Class A: daily; Class B: at least twice a week; Class C: weekly), appropriate products (e.g. alkaline detergent followed by at least 70 % alcohol-based disinfectant or compliant with EN 1276/13697) and provides for periodic checks (e.g. ATP test or allergen swab every three months on critical points), documenting everything in a dedicated log.

A standard hygiene kit must be implemented and training (at least one hour per year covering basic hygiene, allergens, PPE use, with learning verification) must be effective and recorded (specifying how, who archives, and stored for at least three years). Inspections (checklists, quarterly internal audits) must be carried out systematically and measured with KPIs with clear targets (e.g. minimum 95 % audit compliance), analyzing data periodically. There must be a clear non-conformity procedure (e.g. 1st critical NC = training reminder; 2nd NC within six months = temporary suspension with mandatory specific course and evaluation before returning to service). Clearly define who does what. Every driver must be trained and comply with these rules. A clear policy is essential to ensure product safety and maintain customer trust.

[MDaleDDF]

Are the drivers handling uncovered product? Do they enter other facilities' production area? 

I don't see the importance of this.

Yeah, neither do I.   The above post says they need to have portable sinks on their rig?  Seriously?   

We unload our own trucks, the driver touches nothing anyway, but even if he did, is this suggesting truck drivers have a responsibility to monitor their handwashing at all times outside our facility?   Because if I were a truck driver, I'd laugh at this.....

[GMO]

The key thing for me is providing toilet facilities with handwashing at sites.  Beyond that, how is it more relevant than an employee driving to work?

[TimG]

Yeah, that's why I was trying to figure out who asked him to do this. FS scheme auditor? Let's dig into the code they reference. Customers auditor? What was the exact requirement/wording and was it on an audit report or just something they mentioned in passing.

I can't imagine this being anything more than your typical customer auditor trying to 'find something' to write up to show they performed a 'thorough' audit.

[marco89634]

Hello everyone,

Thank you for your comments and for sharing your operational experiences. 

The initial request to "clarify the hygiene policy" opened up a spectrum of interpretations, ranging from the most basic to the most exhaustive. My response aimed precisely to provide a range of considerations, from the regulatory foundations to the best practices required by the most demanding standards, because an effective "hygiene policy" needs to be robust enough to cover various eventualities.

I understand that some measures might seem excessive if applied indiscriminately to every context. My intention, in responding to the general request to provide elements for building a policy that is as comprehensive and adaptable as possible, was to offer a framework from which each company can then extract and calibrate specific measures based on its own detailed risk assessment. Sometimes, starting with a broad perspective helps ensure that aspects which might prove critical in certain circumstances are not overlooked.

These are points for reflection, intended to enrich the discussion on how best to ensure hygiene in food transport. My initial analysis, perhaps perceived as overly prescriptive, aimed to provide a comprehensive "arsenal" of considerations. The real challenge, and here I agree with the spirit of many observations, lies in the ability of each organization to select and calibrate the most appropriate measures, based on an honest, thorough, and continuously updated risk assessment.

Thank you all.

[Lynx42]

This seems a bit extra to me (I have a couple customers who asks stuff like this occasionally) and I tend to push back on some of it. It's okay for some stuff to be common sense.  I'd definitely ask whoever asked this what regulation or standard they are referring to.

 

At our facilities, everyone (drivers, visitors, employees) is required to wash their hands when entering our warehouse, so what they do in their truck doesn't really matter.

 

I had a customer wanted to see our policy stating that employees are supposed to report broken windows.  I showed them where they are trained to report glass and brittle plastic breakage, showed we had the windows listed on our GBP map and that they are shatter proof, and showed them the inspection schedule, but they wanted to see where it said "Employees are required to report broken windows immediately." 

Another wanted to know, in writing, what we'd do if someone came in with a fake ID.  No context behind it, just "What would you do if someone comes in with a fake id."  I pushed back with we are not qualified to determine if an ID is fake and visitors are usually scheduled and no visitor, even unscheduled regulatory visitors, are allowed in the warehouse without an escort.

[Tony-C]

Hi Andy,

 

First of all, smoking is typically banned in all company vehicles and this should also apply to any contracted vehicles.

 

With the main food safety certification standards, the requirements for vehicle operations tend to mainly apply to the load-carrying area although without specifics they expect personal hygiene requirements to be applied to vehicle drivers and any assistants and rules on eating and drinking need to be established.

 

The level of driver hygiene ‘on the road’ should be such that the vehicle cab is maintained in a clean and tidy condition and IMO the hygiene requirements would be dependent on the product and the level of protection of the products so for example taking into consider if the driver is delivering a RTE open product or an enclosed product (for open RTE product laundry of uniforms might be something that needs to be considered). Sometimes delivery drivers aren’t handling the product at all, just opening the doors and checking the order is correct so the rules need to be appropriate to the operation.

 

If it isn’t practical to schedule in rest stops then I would think it is reasonable to permit eating and drinking with a daily cab hygiene check and some wipes/hand sanitiser for hand cleaning.

 

Kind regards,

 

Tony

 

[Andy_Yellows]

Thank you all for your input- for clarity, we aren't GFSI certified and are SALSA accredited (for those outside the UK, SALSA is a pretty scaled down FS accreditation for small-medium sized companies) and our auditor has asked us to clarify in our policy ahead of our next audit how drivers are to clean their hands after eating, drinking or smoking whilst on their delivery routes.

 

From most of the feedback, however, it sounds as though I need to push back a bit and state that while we equip them as best we can with hand sanitiser, it isn't practicable to demand much more of them.

 

For further context, the drivers handle reusable plastic crates (washed on return to site) which contain either packed products or loose fruit and veg, so no high-risk RTE products are handled directly by the drivers.

 

Open to further comments or opinions but hopefully this is something I can argue with a bit of common sense.

 

Regards, Andy

[Miri]

Hi Andy,

I have a few thoughts on this.

 

I don't think you can "control" driver hygiene unless you have a contract with the carrier that states this.  If they are carriers of food grade products/packaging, then driver cleanliness ought to be covered in your transportation supplier approval process.  They should provide you with some evidence of their food safety training and compliance.   

 

If you want to document it another way, perhaps you can add a section to your incoming truck inspection noting the driver's hygiene status. Only do this if they handle the product, though.  In my experience (USA), the company receiving the goods is the one who unloads them, and the driver just drives.

 

Regardless, you cannot hold the driver accountable for his/her/their/whatever hygiene unless they are aware of the standard they are being measured by.  If there is no standard (publication, citation, regulation), then whoever is asking about this is creating a lot of extra work for you.  I'm confident you can determine a way to manage their concerns.  

[GMO]

I think I understand more now and I'm familiar with SALSA.  I'd say the loose fruit and veg is more of a risk (although more of a risk from the van than the driver.)

 

I'd probably write a personal hygiene policy for drivers and include things like:

 

What clothing they wear (if non is issued, then just specify that it should be clean and personal hygiene standards are important.  If you've ever had to talk to someone about BO then you'll know how useful it is to have that in a policy.)

Where toilet facilities are on site and the importance of handwashing after using them.

The rules around smoking etc as above.

Any restrictions on allergens in the vehicle if you have any.

That hand sanitiser is provided but hand washing is more effective etc.

 

Would that cover it do you think?

[MDaleDDF]

These are drivers that are working directly for your companies or are contracted by your companies?  Because otherwise, I don't see it.   Most of our stuff is picked up at the dock.   When the driver is in my building their sign in says they'll conform to our GMP's while here, bout outside of that, their business is none of my business.    If I told them boo they wouldn't give two chits....   Some stuff gets shipped UPS or Fed Ex.   You think UPS or Fed Ex is going to care at all if I inquire into how often their washing their hands?   Cleaning their trucks?   

If you own the shipping, sure.   Otherwise this seems like a pointless exercise to me.

[Andy_Yellows]

Thanks all for your further feedback, to answer of a few of the more recently made points:

 

 

In my experience (USA), the company receiving the goods is the one who unloads them, and the driver just drives. 

 

These are drivers that are working directly for your companies   

If you own the shipping, sure.   Otherwise this seems like a pointless exercise to me.

The drivers are our own employees and unload the goods themselves at the customers' premises (kitchens)

 

 

I'd probably write a personal hygiene policy for drivers and include things like:

 

What clothing they wear (if non is issued, then just specify that it should be clean and personal hygiene standards are important.  If you've ever had to talk to someone about BO then you'll know how useful it is to have that in a policy.)

Where toilet facilities are on site and the importance of handwashing after using them.

The rules around smoking etc as above.

Any restrictions on allergens in the vehicle if you have any.

That hand sanitiser is provided but hand washing is more effective etc.

 

Would that cover it do you think?

What's been listed above is essentially what our hygiene policy entails. Our auditor's problem seemed to be that the handwashing rules applied on site but couldn't be followed to the letter after eating while drivers were on the road (i.e. due to not being able to wash their hands in the same manner they could while on site). I think I'll escalate this to the CB if it remains a problem when our next audit comes around.

[GMO]

 

What's been listed above is essentially what our hygiene policy entails. Our auditor's problem seemed to be that the handwashing rules applied on site but couldn't be followed to the letter after eating while drivers were on the road (i.e. due to not being able to wash their hands in the same manner they could while on site). I think I'll escalate this to the CB if it remains a problem when our next audit comes around.

 

Hmm, yes I would.  I can't see how the vans themselves are not more risk than the employees.  And as soon as anything else is touched (including van doors) hands are contaminated anyway, unavoidably.  

It might be worth looking at how you protect loose produce but otherwise I agree, it seems like overkill.