04B — Ill food worker / exposed infected cut handling food
This means a food worker is preparing food or handling utensils while sick with something that can spread through food, or has an open infected cut or burn on the hand. A sick worker can pass germs like Norovirus, Salmonella, or Hepatitis A straight into the food. The inspector watches for obvious symptoms and may ask to see your illness policy. If a manager knows someone is sick and lets them keep handling food, the points climb to the maximum and the visit gets very serious — so this is one to never gamble on.
What the inspector looks for
Before service, look at and ask each person on the line: anyone with vomiting, diarrhea, or yellow skin/eyes (jaundice) in the last 24 hours, or a sore throat with fever, cannot handle food. Also check hands for an open, uncovered cut or burn. A sick worker on food fails.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 10 points — Cited at 10 (condition V); uncorrected PHH → 28. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Immediately remove the ill or infected worker from food handling; discard any food that may have been contaminated; cover wounds with an impermeable bandage and a glove if the worker stays on non-food tasks.
How to prevent it
Maintain an employee illness policy; exclude or restrict ill workers (vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever); require reporting of symptoms and proper bandaging of cuts.
- ✓Ask every worker the symptom question at the start of each shift, and send anyone with vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, or sore-throat-with-fever home or to non-food tasks.
- ✓Keep a simple written illness policy and log it when you send someone home (name, date, symptom).
- ✓Cover any small cut or burn with a waterproof bandage AND a glove before that person touches food.
- ✓Make it safe for staff to report being sick, so they tell you instead of working through it.
Reference: Health Code §81.13(a)
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