Checklist template

Employee hygiene and illness policy for restaurants

A ready-to-use checklist with 113 items in 6 sections, covering Handwashing, Glove use, Uniform and grooming, Illness reporting, Facilities, Training. Use it as-is in InspectLoop, or adapt it to your own standards in minutes.

  • 6 Sections
  • 113 Items
  • 97 Yes / No checks
  • 6 Scored ratings
  • 127 Points

Use this template How audits work

1. Handwashing 18 items

  1. Employees wash their hands on entering the kitchen at the start of the shift Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Cooks wash their hands after handling raw meat, poultry or seafood and before touching ready-to-eat food Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Employees wash their hands after touching their face, hair or phone Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Employees wash their hands after taking out trash or handling dirty dishes Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Employees returning from the restroom wash their hands again at a kitchen hand sink Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Employees wash their hands after eating, drinking or smoking breaks Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Hands are washed with soap for at least 20 seconds Yes / No 1 pt
  8. The wash covers between the fingers, the thumbs, under the nails and the wrists Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Hands are dried with a single-use paper towel or an air dryer, never on an apron or side towel Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Manual faucets are turned off with a paper towel Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Hand sanitizer is used only after washing, not in place of washing Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Hand sinks are used for handwashing only, with no utensils, food or wiping cloths in the basin Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Hands are not washed in prep sinks, dish sinks or the mop sink Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Servers wash their hands between clearing tables and plating or garnishing food Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Bartenders wash their hands after handling cash and before cutting fruit Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Handwashing occasions observed during the visit Number
  17. Occasions where hands were washed correctly Number
  18. Handwashing practice observed Rating
    • Washed at every required moment 5 pts
    • Some moments missed 3 pts
    • Rarely washed 1 pt

2. Glove use 19 items

  1. Ready-to-eat food is handled with gloves, tongs, deli tissue or a spatula, never with bare hands Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Hands are washed before a new pair of gloves is put on Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Gloves are changed between handling raw food and ready-to-eat food Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Gloves are changed after touching cooler handles, the register, a phone or the face Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Gloves are changed after 4 hours of continuous use on the same task Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Torn or soiled gloves are replaced at once Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Gloves are never rinsed or sanitized for reuse Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Gloves are taken off before leaving the station for the restroom, a break or a trash run Yes / No 1 pt
  9. A glove box is within reach of the sandwich and salad station Yes / No 1 pt
  10. A glove box is within reach of the expediting and garnish station Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Gloves are stocked in the sizes worn by the employees on duty Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Gloves are of the material approved by company policy, commonly nitrile or vinyl and not latex Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Glove boxes are kept away from raw food and splash, not on cutting boards Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Cuts on the hands are covered with a colored bandage and a glove or finger cot Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Bartenders handle garnishes with tongs or picks Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Ice is taken with a handled scoop that is stored outside the ice Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Servers handle bread and lemon wedges with tongs Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Employees do not blow into gloves to open them Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Glove use observed Rating
    • Correct at every station 5 pts
    • Lapses at one station 3 pts
    • Lapses at several stations 1 pt

3. Uniform and grooming 19 items

  1. Kitchen employees start the shift in a clean uniform and a clean apron Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Aprons are taken off before entering the restroom Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Aprons are taken off before taking trash to the dumpster Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Everyone preparing food wears a hat, hairnet or other hair restraint that holds the hair Yes / No 1 pt
  5. Beards are covered with a beard restraint where company policy requires it Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Fingernails are short and clean Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Food handlers wear no nail polish or artificial nails, or wear gloves over them as company policy allows Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Food handlers wear no rings other than a plain band Yes / No 1 pt
  9. Food handlers wear no watches or bracelets, apart from a medical alert bracelet handled as company policy states Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Wiping cloths are kept in a sanitizer bucket, not over the shoulder or tucked into the apron Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Personal phones are not used at food preparation stations Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Employees eat only in the designated break area Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Employee drinks in the kitchen are in a closed cup with a lid and straw Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Employee drinks are kept on a designated shelf below and away from food and prep surfaces Yes / No 1 pt
  15. No one chews gum, uses tobacco or vapes in food preparation areas Yes / No 1 pt
  16. Food is tasted with a single-use spoon or a clean spoon used once Yes / No 1 pt
  17. Coats, bags and other personal belongings are kept in lockers or a designated area away from food storage Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Servers with long hair have it tied back Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Grooming and uniform of the employees on duty Rating
    • All meet the standard 5 pts
    • 1 or 2 employees fall short 3 pts
    • Several employees fall short 1 pt

4. Illness reporting 21 items

  1. A written employee health policy lists the symptoms to report: vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever and infected cuts Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The policy lists the diagnosed illnesses that must be reported to the manager, as named by local regulation Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Each employee has signed an agreement to report symptoms and diagnoses Yes / No 1 pt
  4. Employees on today's schedule without a signed reporting agreement Number
  5. Employees with vomiting or diarrhea are sent home at once Yes / No 1 pt
  6. The illness log shows that excluded employees stayed away for the symptom-free period set by local regulation or company policy Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Employees with a sore throat and fever are kept away from food, clean dishes and utensils Yes / No 1 pt
  8. Managers ask an employee who looks ill about symptoms before the employee starts work Yes / No 1 pt
  9. An illness log records the employee, the symptoms, the date excluded and the date of return Yes / No 1 pt
  10. Each return to work in the illness log was approved by a manager Yes / No 1 pt
  11. The manager asked knew which cases must be reported to the health department Yes / No 1 pt
  12. An employee asked during the visit could name the symptoms that must be reported Yes / No 1 pt
  13. The number to call in sick and the notice expected are posted for employees Yes / No 1 pt
  14. An employee with reportable symptoms is not required to find a replacement before staying home Yes / No 1 pt
  15. The reporting agreement covers a reportable illness diagnosed in the employee's household Yes / No 1 pt
  16. No employee with visible symptoms (persistent cough, runny nose, vomiting) was working with food during the visit Yes / No 1 pt
  17. A written procedure covers the clean-up of vomit or diarrhea in the dining room and the kitchen Yes / No 1 pt
  18. A clean-up kit holds disposable gloves, a mask, absorbent powder, bags and a disinfectant effective against norovirus Yes / No 1 pt
  19. Customer illness complaints are logged and reported to head office Yes / No 1 pt
  20. Employee exclusions for illness recorded in the last 90 days Number
  21. Application of the illness policy Rating
    • Applied and documented 5 pts
    • Applied but poorly documented 3 pts
    • Not applied 1 pt

5. Facilities 19 items

  1. The cook line has a hand sink that employees reach without passing through a door Yes / No 1 pt
  2. The prep area has a hand sink that employees reach without passing through a door Yes / No 1 pt
  3. The dish room has a hand sink on the clean side or between the soiled and clean sides Yes / No 1 pt
  4. The bar has its own hand sink, separate from the bar's wash sinks and dump sink Yes / No 1 pt
  5. No hand sink is blocked by carts, bins or stored equipment Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Warm running water reaches each hand sink within 30 seconds Yes / No 1 pt
  7. Water temperature at the cook line hand sink (°F or °C) Number
  8. The soap dispenser at each hand sink is filled and working Yes / No 1 pt
  9. The paper towel dispenser at each hand sink is filled and working Yes / No 1 pt
  10. A trash can stands at each hand sink Yes / No 1 pt
  11. A handwashing sign is posted at each hand sink Yes / No 1 pt
  12. A handwashing sign is posted in the employee restroom Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Restroom doors close by themselves Yes / No 1 pt
  14. The employee restroom has a covered waste bin Yes / No 1 pt
  15. A splash guard separates any hand sink from an adjoining prep surface or clean dish shelf Yes / No 1 pt
  16. A back-up supply of hand soap is on site Yes / No 1 pt
  17. A back-up supply of paper towels is on site Yes / No 1 pt
  18. Hand sinks found without soap or without paper towels Number
  19. Condition and supply of hand sinks Rating
    • All stocked and accessible 5 pts
    • 1 sink short of supplies or blocked 3 pts
    • Several sinks short of supplies or blocked 1 pt

6. Training 17 items

  1. Every food handler holds the food handler certificate required by local regulation Yes / No 1 pt
  2. Copies of the certificates are kept on site Yes / No 1 pt
  3. Employees without a valid food handler certificate Number
  4. A certified food protection manager is on duty as local regulation requires Yes / No 1 pt
  5. New employees are shown the handwashing method on their first day, with a record Yes / No 1 pt
  6. Date of the last hygiene training session Date
  7. The handwashing steps are posted in the languages read by the kitchen team Yes / No 1 pt
  8. A pre-shift meeting in the last 30 days covered a hygiene topic Yes / No 1 pt
  9. An employee asked during the visit washed hands correctly in front of the inspector Yes / No 1 pt
  10. An employee asked could state when gloves must be changed Yes / No 1 pt
  11. Managers correct hygiene lapses on the spot, as seen during the visit or recorded in coaching notes Yes / No 1 pt
  12. Bussers, hosts and temporary staff are included in hygiene training Yes / No 1 pt
  13. Hand sink supplies are a line on the manager's opening checklist Yes / No 1 pt
  14. Hygiene findings from the last health department inspection were reviewed with the team Yes / No 1 pt
  15. Name of the manager on duty Short text
  16. Overall control of employee hygiene Rating
    • Hands washed, ill workers excluded and sinks stocked 5 pts
    • Lapses seen but corrected by the manager during the visit 3 pts
    • Hands not washed or ill workers handling food 1 pt
  17. Corrective actions required Comments

About this template

This checklist is part of the InspectLoop template library. Yes / No checks score 1 point when met; ratings score the points shown for each option. The overall score is the percentage of points earned, with N/A answers excluded. In InspectLoop you can add photos, assign corrective actions, require sign-off and compare results across sites.

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