Why Restaurants Need a Steady Supply of Vinyl Gloves
When it comes to health practices, restaurants are some of the most closely regulated industries in the U.S. They have to adhere to multiple “best-practices” and are subject to routine inspections. One mistake could shut a business down. Although some restrictions protect workers, most are designed to prevent customers from getting sick. Besides keeping dining establishments clean, wearing gloves is one of the most common health practices used in the industry. Today restaurants often rely on suppliers to provide a constant supply of Vinyl Gloves that prevent cross-contamination. Businesses cannot afford to run out of gloves for several reasons.
Single-Use Gloves Are Never Reusable
Most customers are used to seeing food-service workers wearing gloves, especially since the Covid-19 pandemic. But many people still wonder how much protection those gloves provide if workers constantly use the same pair. The answer is that they don’t. Restaurants invest in reusable gloves to provide the most safety. Anyone employee comes near food must wash their hands thoroughly and put on a fresh pair of gloves. They also wash their hands after removing gloves and each time they don new pairs, which can happen surprisingly often on a single shift.
Touching Certain Foods Requires New Gloves
One worker can wear a dozen pair of single-use gloves in a shift, depending on what kinds of food they prepare or serve. For example, anyone touching raw seafood or any meat or poultry must change gloves before touching other kinds of food. Health departments also publish a long list of items that cannot be touched without a fresh pair of gloves. The list includes bread, salad ingredients, raw fresh fruits and vegetables, garnishes, ice, bread, cold meats, and sandwiches.
Employees Change Gloves with Activities
Restaurant workers are required to change gloves with every new activity. For example, an employee might wash their hands and prepare sandwiches for a while. If they change to a task like working with customers, they need to remove their gloves, wash their hands, and put on a new pair. No matter how many times they switch activities, a glove change is required, without fail. They can never skip the hand-washing, either, because gloves alone do not offer 100% protection against cross-contamination. Soap and water kill bacteria.
Workers Cannot Wear Gloves All Day
Even if a work has a single job that never changes for an entire shift, they still need several pairs of gloves. For one thing, gloves get dirty as they are used and need to be replaced with fresh ones. If gloves are damaged, they must be changed.
In any case, workers are not allowed to wear the same pair all day. Restaurants ensure that workers put on fresh gloves every few hours. Most require new gloves every four hours, but many employees must put on a new pair every two hours.
Because restaurants must adhere to strict health codes, they need to keep a ready supply of reusable gloves for their workers. Gloves prevent cross-contamination that could lead to illness. A dining establishment can easily go through dozens of gloves a day since workers must change every few hours when switching activities and when gloves are damaged. They also need to change if gloves are dirty and when handling foods like poultry, meat, and seafood.
