06A — Personal cleanliness inadequate (hair restraint, garment, nails)
This covers personal cleanliness: no clean outer garment, no effective hair restraint, or dirty/long nails. Loose hair, a dirty apron, or grime under long nails can drop into food or carry germs onto it. The inspector looks at the people working the line as part of the walkthrough. It is a quick, avoidable critical violation that good shift habits eliminate completely.
What the inspector looks for
Look at each food worker: clean apron/outer garment, an effective hair restraint (hat or hairnet), and clean, short, unpolished nails with no hand or arm jewelry. Loose hair over food, or dirty hands/nails, fails.
Points & grade impact
Cited at 5 points — 5 / 6 / 7 / 8 by number of workers across condition I-IV. NYC adds every cited violation’s points into one inspection score: 0–13 = A, 14–27 = B, 28+ = C.
How to fix it
Have the worker put on a clean outer garment and an effective hair restraint; clean and trim fingernails; remove hand/arm jewelry and nail polish.
How to prevent it
Provide clean uniforms/aprons and hair restraints; enforce no hand or arm jewelry, no nail polish, and clean trimmed nails for all food handlers.
- ✓Provide clean aprons and hair restraints and have everyone put them on before touching food.
- ✓Keep fingernails short, clean, and unpolished; no fake nails without gloves over them.
- ✓No rings, bracelets, or watches on the line (a plain wedding band is the usual exception); they trap germs and can fall into food.
- ✓Keep a clean spare apron on hand so a soiled one gets swapped, not worn through the shift.
Reference: Health Code §81.13(b)
Will your kitchen get an A?
Run a free 5-minute self-audit across all 73 NYC violation codes and see your projected letter grade — before the inspector does.
Run a free self-audit