It’s happened to all of us on that first day back at work: we open the office fridge to discover the remnants of last year’s packed lunches plus the aroma of that pre-Christmas carton of milk.

Food Safety Information Council CEO, Lydia Buchtmann, is urging workers and employers to avoid food poisoning by taking care of that much neglected workplace kitchen.

‘Every year there is a one in five chance of you getting food poisoning in Australia and we know that cases of gastro can spread quickly throughout a workplace once people get sick,’ Ms Buchtmann said.

‘These 6 simple tips can help reduce the risk of getting food poisoning at work:

1. Always wash your hands (or use an alcohol gel or wipe if working outdoors) before touching food. Employers should ensure handwashing soap and drying facilities are available in kitchens and bathrooms and regularly replenished. You’ll find people will have fewer sick days
2. Transport your lunch with an ice brick or frozen drink and store your lunch in the work fridge (or in a cooler with ice bricks if you work outside) until lunchtime.
3. Get a fridge thermometer to make sure the work fridge is running at 5°C or below and clean out the fridge completely on a regular basis to get rid of those forgotten lunches and read the label and discard any packaged food past its use by date.
4. Set up a roster to not only clean out the fridge regularly but also clean bench tops and make sure that dishcloths, sponges, brushes and tea towels are clean and replaced regularly.
5. Wash up your own dishes or put them in the dishwasher if there is one.  Put a sign on the dishwasher when it is full and empty it when finished (yes, that is everyone’s job!)
6. If you have gastro, don’t go to work and avoid handling food for others until 48 hours after symptoms such as vomiting and diarrhoea stop. If food poisoning symptoms persist, visit a doctor.

‘Finally, don’t forget our back to school lunchbox tips: keep the lunchbox clean and always include an ice block or frozen drink which should keep it cool until lunchtime,’ Ms Buchtmann concluded

The Food Safety Information Council is Australia’s leading disseminator of consumer-targeted food safety information and a health promotion charity. We would like to thanks our member Neogen for sponsoring our Summer campaign and Provisual for running our food safety tips on their school canteen poster

Download and put up our simple handwashing poster in workplace bathrooms and kitchens.