Optimization of Evaluation Method for Hand Washing and Hand Washing Method in the Meat Processing Plant

Abstract

The optimization of hand washing in a meat processing plant was evaluated using total viable count and the amount of fat present on hands. The degree of contamination of workers' hands was also investigated. Fat amounts were evaluated using the easy quantitative stamp spread method. This method detected up to 10.0 mg of fat simply and quickly. Results showed increases in total viable count from 2.9 to 4.2 log cfu (p<0.05) and fat from 0.1 mg or less to up to 10.0 mg after meat handling. Furthermore, total viable count was associated with the amount of fat detected on workers' hands after meat handling. The results suggest that fat can be an effective indicator for hand washing in the meat processing plants. We verified the effectiveness of hand washing in the meat processing plant by measuring the reduction in bacterial counts and fat amounts. Results showed that hand washing by the 10 sec 2 times method most effectively decreased both the bacterial counts and fat amounts. We conclude that the 10 sec 2 times method was the quickest and most effective method of hand washing for the meat processing plants.