If you have worked in the restaurant or grocery industry, you have no doubt worn your share of latex. Why do food service workers wear gloves?
What’s the impact of all that latex on the environment? Do these devices do an effective job, and what user error factors can impact their ability to stop germ spread? What safety concerns should people heed while wearing them? Taking a closer look at why food service workers wear gloves reveals the answer to these and other questions you might not have known you had.
Why Do Food Service Workers Wear Gloves?
The biggest reason why food service workers wear gloves is to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. Infectious diseases can spread through direct or indirect contact with pathogens or bodily fluids containing them. Some of the common transmission routes include:
- Aerosol or airborne, which can cause infection by being in the same room
- Respiratory droplets from coughs, sneezes and speech
- Touching infected surfaces
- Physical contact
- Contact with blood or feces
- Sexual contact
- Vector contact, such as an infected mosquito spreading Zika virus
- Mother to child
Public Health Benefits of Wearing Gloves
Food service workers wear gloves to protect against spreading disease through physical contact or with the blood. For example, they could have a small cut on their hands. It’s also possible for all kinds of nasty germs to linger under your fingernails, which is why many medical facilities prohibit nurses from wearing false ones. Many more pathogens live there, and they don’t all wash away with typical soap and water.
Failure to wear gloves poses a serious public health threat. Recently, authorities linked an outbreak of norovirus in Tazewell County, Illinois, to a sick food service worker who failed to wear gloves. Norovirus is the number one cause of foodborne illness in the United States. While it usually produces only mild vomiting and diarrhea, it can be fatal. While failing to wear gloves may seem like a minor oversight, it can have severe consequences.
Wearing Gloves Protects Food Service Workers, Too
It isn’t only the public that food service workers protect when they don gloves. To a lesser extent, these devices protect employees as well. For example, they offer protection against contaminated surfaces where they recently prepared raw chicken until they are cleaned by a proper antiseptic. Although it may not lead to disease, getting vinegar-based salad dressing in a fresh paper cut isn’t anyone’s idea of fun — ouch.
Latex Gloves Outside the Kitchen
Latex gloves have enormous applicability outside of the kitchen. Everyone should carry a few pairs in their car’s first aid kit — you never know when an accident may occur, and you may need to treat a wound. Wearing gloves protects you from contracting a bloodborne pathogen while being a good Samaritan.
Latex gloves are also fabulous for cleaning up everyday messes. Who wants their bare paws near kitty litter or doggie doo-doo? However, aren’t they terrible for the environment? The answer might surprise you.
Natural latex gloves come from the rubber tree, making them a renewable resource. You can toss those that aren’t treated with other chemicals into certain compost bins, as they come from organic materials. Rubber trees are incredible carbon sinks, capable of sequestering more of this problematic compound than other species. When done right, latex gloves can play an integral role in the circular economy, supporting a healthy environment.
How to Wear Latex Gloves
Believe it or not, there’s a right and wrong way to wear latex gloves. Start with the right size. Most brands come in sizes small through large, although you can find extra small and extra large brands. Talk to your manager about ordering the correct size.
The most crucial tip is to put on your gloves before touching the food or the instruments you use to prepare it. Wash your hands, dry them thoroughly and then glove up. You should wash your hands each time you change gloves.
How to Remove Latex Gloves
Removing latex gloves properly is critical, especially when dealing with blood. It prevents any germs on the latex from getting on your skin. Follow the steps below to shed yours:
- Use your left hand to grab the outer side of the right glove at your wrist.
- Pull toward your fingertips, turning the glove inside out.
- Hold the dirty glove in your left hand.
- Place two of your right-hand fingers inside the left glove, not touching the outside.
- Pinch the inside and pull it up, turning it inside out and wrapping the other glove.
- Dispose of the gloves in an approved container.
When to Change Latex Gloves
Food service workers should change their gloves at least every four hours or when any of the following occurs:
- Gloves become worn and dirty.
- They become contaminated by activities like blowing your nose or touching a trash container.
- After handling raw food
- Before serving ready-to-eat food
- After interrupting a task — for example, answering the phone.
Remember, wearing dirty gloves is the equivalent of wearing no gloves at all. Take hygiene seriously, and when in doubt, wash your hands and change your gloves.
Behaviors to Avoid When Wearing Latex Gloves
You should avoid touching your face while wearing latex gloves, as this can contaminate them. Therefore, if you get something in your eye or have to wipe back sweat, you should get a new pair. Additionally, food service workers should never reuse latex gloves.
Why Food Service Workers Wear Gloves
Knowing why food service workers wear gloves lends a greater respect for the profession. These individuals carry an enormous burden of protecting public health. Understanding why food service workers wear gloves also inspires you to take proper actions to safeguard your health when caring for or preparing food for others.
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