Welcome to Your Employee Hygiene Toolbox
Thank you for registering for the Employee Hygiene Toolbox, brought to you by Food Safety Magazine and Meritech, your partner in hygiene excellence. Over the course of this year, we’ll be releasing six modules packed with content to help you design, implement, and reinforce a food safety hygiene culture at your facility. Each of the six modules will have content for every level of your organization including executives, middle managers, production team leaders, and production team members. These assets will be accompanied by editorial content from Food Safety Magazine designed to reinforce and supplement the topics outlined in each of the modules throughout the year. Again, thank you for registering for the food safety toolbox, and we look forward to helping you create a culture of hygiene excellence at your organization this year!
Questions? Email us.
SELECT A MODULE
The Importance of Creating a Culture of Employee Hygiene Excellence
Get tools that go beyond physical hygiene zones and processes to establish a unified mindset across your organization that puts food safety at the forefront of the business.
Best Practices in Achieving Hand Hygiene Excellence
Achieve hand hygiene excellence at your facility with tools that help establish and reinforce proper handwashing behaviors at your organization.
Best Practices in Achieving Footwear Hygiene Excellence
Achieve footwear hygiene excellence at your facility with tools that help establish and reinforce proper footwear hygiene behaviors at your organization.
Employee Hygiene Program Design
Get tools to help design and implement a comprehensive hygiene program at your business from facility layout to processes and procedures.
Hygiene Program Validation
Validate your organization's hygiene program and test hand and footwear methods to measure the health of your employee hygiene culture.
Ongoing Employee Hygiene Program Reinforcement
Get tools to reinforce your organization's culture of hygiene excellence and learn best practices for safety days and other hygiene retraining days.
Employee Hygiene Toolbox
A Content Partnership for Hygiene Excellence
Food safety is the best strategy for reducing the risk of your consumers becoming sick from foodborne illnesses. However, most program recommendations overlook the single greatest risk to food safety: human behavior. In this resource, Food Safety Magazine and Meritech have teamed up to provide educational resources designed to help food production leaders overcome food safety risks caused by human behavior and create a culture of hygiene excellence. Go beyond the basic SOPs and truly align employee behavior with your food safety goals by using the tools and content presented in this Employee Hygiene Toolbox at your facility to ensure food safety for your consumers.
Meritech is your partner in hygiene excellence. As the leader in automated hygiene technology, our mission is to save lives and prevent the spread of disease through effective hygiene by overcoming the variability of human behavior.
Meritech’s innovative automated hygiene technology and solutions have been developed and refined over decades by an experienced team of sanitation, food safety, and healthcare experts. Their unique insights and experience have allowed us to craft automated hygiene stations that are clinically proven to remove more than 99.9% of harmful pathogens, increase handwashing compliance, integrate seamlessly into facilities, exceed regulatory food safety and sanitation requirements, and make hygiene compliance monitoring and documentation effortless.
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For almost 25 years, Food Safety Magazine has been the go-to source for food safety professionals needing answers to their most pressing questions. We publish original content through numerous channels, including print, online, and our podcast Food Safety Matters. On every platform, our audience finds the freshest ideas and the most thorough discussions of the challenges facing food safety professionals today.
Our mission is to help all levels of food safety decision-makers and practitioners in food manufacturing, foodservice, retail, regulatory, and research acquire state-of-the-art, state-of-the-practice knowledge to align food safety science and technology with business strategies that optimize the efficiencies and effectiveness of food safety systems across the supply chain.
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Module 1
The Importance of Creating a Culture of Employee Hygiene Excellence
In this first module of the Employee Hygiene Toolbox, we give you all the tools to begin creating a hygiene culture at your own organization including a hygiene social contract, onboarding checklist, and hygiene culture infographic for new hires. We also explain how to effectively use all of these tools and build an employee hygiene culture at your facility in the podcast below. Download all of the assets below to begin creating a culture of employee hygiene excellence at your facility today!
Questions? Email us.
1. Guide: Hygiene Social Contract
As the core of any hygiene culture, this social contract guide includes an interactive PDF of the hygiene social contract that can be customized with your company’s name and logo.
Ideal for Executive
2. Podcast: Creating a Culture of Hygiene Excellence
Ideal for Middle Manager
3. Checklist: Onboarding for a Culture of Hygiene Excellence
Ensure that team leaders communicate the important aspects of employee hygiene and food safety to new production team members using this hygiene onboarding checklist.
Ideal for Production Team Leader
4. Infographic: Food Safety Hygiene Culture
This infographic of a hygiene culture helps team members understand how a hygiene culture impacts the production team, the company itself and even aspects outside the organization.
Ideal for Production Team Member
Recommended Reading List
Company Culture and the Path to Improved Food Safety: Setting the Tone to Support a Strong Food Safety Culture
The path to food safety lies squarely in the culture of your company.
Leveraging Food Safety: The Cross-Functional Food Safety Committee
Many companies struggle with the transformation from food safety compliance to food safety culture. One great strategic tool is the food safety committee.
Best Practices for Making Long-Term Changes in Behavior
Employees were more likely to handle food in accordance with safe food practices when their managers and coworkers stressed food safety.
Module 2
Best Practices in Achieving Hand Hygiene Excellence
In this second module of the Employee Hygiene Toolbox, we give you all the tools to ensure hand hygiene excellence at your own organization including handwashing posters and procedure guides. Download these assets and more below!
Questions? Email us.
1. Hand Hygiene eBook
This eBook explores the topic of hand hygiene including the different handwashing methods, drying methods, skin health and creating a hand hygiene culture at your facility.
Ideal for Executive
2. Hand Hygiene Comparison Guide
This guide compares the common handwashing methods used today and the pros and cons of each.
Ideal for Executive
3. Podcast: Hand Hygiene 101 in Food Processing
Ideal for Middle Manager
4. Procedure Guide: Automated Handwashing
Download and use procedure at your facility or use this as a guide to customize your own procedure for automated handwashing.
Ideal for Middle Manager
5. Procedure Guide: Manual Handwashing
Download and use procedure at your facility or use this as a guide to customize your own procedure for manual handwashing.
Ideal for Middle Manager
6. Automated Handwashing Poster: English/Spanish
Use this poster at your facility to educate staff on how to use an automated handwashing station for pathogen removal.
Ideal for Production Team Leader
7. Manual Handwashing Poster: English/Spanish
Use this poster at your facility to reinforce the proper manual handwashing steps for pathogen removal.
Ideal for Production Team Leader
8. Hand Hygiene Huddle Talking Points
Here are some ideas for hand hygiene topics for production leaders to bring up during huddle talks.
Ideal for Production Team Leader
9. Automated Handwashing Demo Video
Ideal for Production Team Members
10. Manual Handwashing Demo Video
Ideal for Production Team Members
Recommended Reading List
Good Handwashing is Management 101
If there ever was a solution for reducing outbreak risk, it’s good handwashing management.
The Five W’s of Handwashing
It has been proven repeatedly that handwashing plays a key role in both personal health and food safety in food manufacturing and foodservice/retail operations.
Proper Hand Washing: A Vital Food Safety Step
Food safety considerations regarding hand washing are not confined to foodservice workers or food production and processing employees.
A Practical Perspective on Hand Washing
The goal is to get food handlers to habitually wash their hands before starting work and frequently during work.
Module 3
Best Practices in Achieving Footwear Hygiene Excellence
In this third module of the Employee Hygiene Toolbox, we give you all the tools to take the first “step” towards footwear hygiene excellence at your own organization. Download these assets and more below!
Questions? Email us.
1. Footwear Hygiene eBook
This eBook explores the topic of footwear hygiene including the different footwear hygiene methods and best practices for creating a footwear hygiene program at your facility.
Ideal for Executive
2. Footwear Hygiene Methods Comparison Guide
This guide compares the common footwear hygiene methods used today and the pros and cons of each.
Ideal for Executive
3. Podcast: An Intro to Footwear Hygiene in Food Processing
Ideal for Middle Manager
4. Choose Your Footwear Hygiene Method Infographic
Use this guide to determine the best footwear hygiene method for your team.
Ideal for Production Team Leader
5. Footwear Buying Guide for Cleaning and Sanitation — English
Download and edit this guide to help team members choose footwear that meets your hygiene goals.
Ideal for Production Team Member
6. Footwear Buying Guide for Cleaning and Sanitation — Spanish
Download and edit this guide to help team members choose footwear that meets your hygiene goals.
Ideal for Production Team Member
Recommended Reading List
Sanitation Best Practices
Product safety and quality are highly dependent on sanitation, as improper sanitation will result in reduced shelf life and increased loss due to spoilage.
Food Safety and Language Barriers on the Food Processing Line
Employee attitudes toward specific behaviors have been identified as predictors for overall employee behaviors and food safety.
The Do’s and Don’ts of Food Plant Personal Hygiene Practices
Good personal hygiene policies and practices are the foundation for successful food safety and quality assurance in all food manufacturing facilities.
Environmental Listeria Monitoring: Seek and Destroy Pathogens
Whether you are just setting up your environmental Listeria monitoring program or reassessing your existing program, there are basic elements that you will want to include.
Module 4
Employee Hygiene Zone Design
In this fourth module of the Employee Hygiene Toolbox, we give you tools and guides to help you learn more about hygiene zone design. Not only do we explain the different types of hygiene zones and considerations for these in the e-book, but there are also tools to help guide your team on best practices in the hygiene zone and ensure it is well maintained for each shift. There is also a video to use during onboarding and retraining to showcase how team members should be navigating through each of the 5 core steps and some of the do’s and don’ts for each of those areas. Download all of these assets below!
Questions? Email us.
1. Hygiene Zone eBook
Use this eBook to learn how the 3Ps or People, Place and Product affect hygiene zone design and processes.
Ideal for Executive
2. Hygiene Zone Maintenance Guide
Use this guide to help hygiene zone leaders maintain and keep supplies stocked for their shift.
Ideal for Middle Manager
3. Hygiene Zone Coaching Guide
Use this guide to help coach teams through hygiene zones and remind them about best practices for food safety.
Ideal for Middle Manager
4. Hygiene Zone Posters
These posters represent the 5 core steps that need to be taken in the hygiene zone to ensure food safety.
Ideal for Production Team Leader
5. Hygiene Zone Video
Use this video in onboarding and training to teach team members how to navigate the do’s and don’ts of hygiene zones.
Ideal for Production Team Member
Recommended Reading List
Give Food Plant Sanitarians Their Props
How do we make sure that we have put sanitation in a position to be the most important department in the plant?
Developing an Integrated Sanitation Program Using Innovative Techniques
When a food company begins to develop an integrated sanitation program to better ensure the quality and safety of its products, teamwork is essential to the program’s success.
Food Safety for Food Handlers
A culture of food safety is built on a set of shared values that operators and their staff follow to produce and provide food in the safest manner.
Module 5
Hygiene Program Validation
In this fifth module of the Employee Hygiene Toolbox, we give you all the tools to validate your organization's hygiene program and test hand and footwear hygiene methods to measure the health of your employee hygiene culture.
Questions? Email us.
1. Hygiene Health Quiz
This quiz provides a mechanism for management to measure the health of their employee hygiene culture and hygiene SOPs to identify strengths and areas for improvement.
Ideal for Executive
2. ATP Testing Guide for Validating Hand Hygiene SOPs
There are several testing methods that can be used to validate the efficacy of hand and footwear hygiene methods. Each method has its limitations and should be fully evaluated before a system of ongoing hygiene validation is written into an SOP or GMP system. This document explores our recommended testing method: an Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) test.
Ideal for Middle Manager
3. Podcast: Validating Hand Hygiene Methods for Pathogen Removal
Ideal for Middle Manager
4. "Secret Shopper" Employee Hygiene Auditing Guide
This audit worksheet and guide is designed to support internal “secret shopper” employee hygiene audits so production team leaders can verify hygiene SOP compliance on a frequent basis to proactively identify issues before they turn into outbreaks or recalls.
Ideal for Team Leader
5. Hygiene Culture 101 Quiz
This quiz provides a mechanism for management to measure their employees’ knowledge and practice of hygiene SOPs to reinforce procedures and identify areas for retraining.
Ideal for Team Member
Recommended Reading List
Food Plant SOPs: The Backbone of Your Food Safety System
SOPs and SSOPs must be integral and foundational parts of all food manufacturing facilities’ food safety program.
SOPs Spell Out Procedures and Expectations
Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures are instructive, directive and are written to contain actions around a task—likely intended to fulfill a policy’s requirements.
Measure What You Treasure
A culture of food safety is built on a set of shared values that operators and their staff follow to produce and provide food in the safest manner.
Module 6
Ongoing Employee Hygiene Program Reinforcement
In this sixth module of the Employee Hygiene Toolbox, we give you all the tools to host your very own safety day at your facility! Alongside your own safety day topics use hygiene bingo and these posters to reinforce hygiene best practices at your facility.
Questions? Email us.
1. Podcast: Podcast: Hygiene Safety Days
Ideal for Executive
2. Safety Day Guide
How do you have a successful safety day? Our guide on safety days goes over what they are, what should be covered during a safety day, and how to ensure a successful safety day at your facility.
Ideal for Middle Manager
3. Hygiene Posters
Use these hygiene posters to remind and reinforce good hygiene behaviors among your team. We recommend switching out the posters bi-monthly to keep hygiene fresh and top of mind for your team!
Ideal for Production Team Leader
4. Hygiene Bingo
Hygiene Bingo is great way to engage production team members during a hygiene safety day. Give each team member a Bingo card and have them track performance over time, marking an “X” for each box they complete. Award prizes for the first player to complete a row or fill up the whole Bingo card!
Ideal for Production Team Member
5. Certificate of Completion
Thanks for your participation in the Employee Hygiene Toolbox! Download this certificate of completion to show everyone that you’re a hygiene superhero!
Ideal for Production Team Leader
Recommended Reading List
Well-Designed Food Safety & Sanitation Training Programs
Food safety and sanitation training should start with the basics.
Building a Stronger Food Safety Culture
What do your employees do when no one is watching? If they do the right thing with regard to food safety, then you have a solid food safety culture.
Food Safety Culture: Insurance Against Catastrophe
Culture has many ingredients. These might include values, norms, accepted behaviors, history, tradition, habits and expectations.”