The human right for McDonald's employees not to wash their hands

[RaggedyAnn]

OK, note to self, never read Greek Chat before you are going to order pizza on a Friday night. Gag!!!

[BabyPiNK_FL]

^^^You should report that to your local Health Bureau (after visiting the location b/c patient privilege and all), he has a right to work-just not there. (I don't eat little caesar's cos it's nasty! but this makes it worse).

Wondering-couldn't a customer countersue and claim that her not washing her hands is in violation of their human rights or something? i know it'd most certainly be in mine.

I agree with whoever said shut down the McDonald's to prove a point. There has to be a line drawn somewhere. If she wants to work at a CVS counter (which probably pays more) I'd be down-she's not handling food. Even as a cashier in a local grocery, as long as she's not handling food! She could work in an office, from her home (where she can be as nasty as she wants), in a clock factory, I could keep going...just as long as it's not with food.

[UGAalum94]

I'm as pro-hand washing as the next person, but when you read the first article that Jon posted, you'll see that the case ended up being more about McDonald's not taking the actions that it should have to see if she could have been employed by them in a way that didn't require as frequent hand washing, basically in a non-food handling job.

She had worked there for more than 20 years when she developed some kind of health problem related to frequent hand washing. McDonalds basically just fired her and never even dealt with her directly to see what exactly the problem was and if she could be accommodated.

So while making the case about allowing food service employees to refuse to handle food makes us all interested and outraged, it's really a failure to accommodate a disability lawsuit.

There's no indication that anyone felt that food service employees could refuse to wash their hands.

[preciousjeni]

Question, could one not just wear latex gloves and wash them throughout the day if the handwashing is too much? I don't work in food service myself but I must say if I had to wash my hands that much, they'd be bleeding. My skin is far too dry for that level of "hygiene."

ETA: I see in this case, she was told not to wear gloves because they aggravated her condition.

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

Question, could one not just wear latex gloves and wash them throughout the day if the handwashing is too much? I don't work in food service myself but I must say if I had to wash my hands that much, they'd be bleeding. My skin is far too dry for that level of "hygiene."

ETA: I see in this case, she was told not to wear gloves because they aggravated her condition.

I don't know what the restaurant policies are in the US, but I know here (well, at least in Ontario), it's actaully against regulations to wear gloves. The reason being is that you're actually spreading more bacteria that way, because it stays on the gloves, and the wearer is handling different foods, touching counters, picking up rags, etc., etc. Now, if you request that the food prepares wear gloves while making your burger, they will put them on.

Mr. Pi Phi used to manage a pizza place, and it was part of the health code and company policy not to wear gloves.

Bottom line, this woman should not have been handling the food. I'm sure there was another job at the restaurant that she could have done.

[preciousjeni]

Originally Posted by Lady Pi Phi

I don't know what the restaurant policies are in the US, but I know here (well, at least in Ontario), it's actaully against regulations to wear gloves. The reason being is that you're actually spreading more bacteria that way, because it stays on the gloves, and the wearer is handling different foods, touching counters, picking up rags, etc., etc. Now, if you request that the food prepares wear gloves while making your burger, they will put them on.

Mr. Pi Phi used to manage a pizza place, and it was part of the health code and company policy not to wear gloves.

Bottom line, this woman should not have been handling the food. I'm sure there was another job at the restaurant that she could have done.

What I'm saying is wear gloves and then wash the gloves, instead of using your bare hands and washing your bare hands.

[RaggedyAnn]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I'm as pro-hand washing as the next person, but when you read the first article that Jon posted, you'll see that the case ended up being more about McDonald's not taking the actions that it should have to see if she could have been employed by them in a way that didn't require as frequent hand washing, basically in a non-food handling job.

She had worked there for more than 20 years when she developed some kind of health problem related to frequent hand washing. McDonalds basically just fired her and never even dealt with her directly to see what exactly the problem was and if she could be accommodated.

So while making the case about allowing food service employees to refuse to handle food makes us all interested and outraged, it's really a failure to accommodate a disability lawsuit.

There's no indication that anyone felt that food service employees could refuse to wash their hands.

I read the article, but I also worked for McDonald's for 5 years in high school and college. Many of these restaurants are franchises. The administrative work is done by the managers in between working at the grill and food service up front. I never worked in the grill, but would have to wash my hands a lot as a cashier. Fries, ketchup, mustard...food gets on you even using the best of care. The other option would be to clean up the dining room, but you need to use cleaning fluids out there as well. And you can't tell me she wouldn't want to wash her hands after picking up other people's garbage? The fact of the matter is that everyone has to wash their hands in a restaurant and everyone wears different hats when working there. I can't think of a reasonable accomadation.

I guess she could have gone to work for corporate McDonald's, but are they local to her?

[DeltAlum]

Originally Posted by PhiGam

God damned liberals, I'm glad that I don't have to worry about this kind of crap. Watch out California, you're next.

What?

Liberals?

Most of the liberals I know wash their hands.

I go even farther and bet that they would agree that this is "gross."

I'll bet that the real problem is that this McDonalds uses harsh old conservative hand soap.

[RU OX Alum]

Originally Posted by RaggedyAnn

I read the article, but I also worked for McDonald's for 5 years in high school and college. Many of these restaurants are franchises. The administrative work is done by the managers in between working at the grill and food service up front. I never worked in the grill, but would have to wash my hands a lot as a cashier. Fries, ketchup, mustard...food gets on you even using the best of care. The other option would be to clean up the dining room, but you need to use cleaning fluids out there as well. And you can't tell me she wouldn't want to wash her hands after picking up other people's garbage? The fact of the matter is that everyone has to wash their hands in a restaurant and everyone wears different hats when working there. I can't think of a reasonable accomadation.

I guess she could have gone to work for corporate McDonald's, but are they local to her?

Exactly. I worked in a restuarant too, if you don't want to wash your hands every so often then something is wrong with you because any time there is food it will get on you if you are around it/handling it.

[BabyPiNK_FL]

After reading this article I became so sensitive to handwashing! Yesterday I was in Cheesecake Factory and two customers came in (neither used the handicap bathroom with comes with the sink inside just for reference). I went to wash my hands as usual and noticed two women walk out without even so much as glancing at the sink. People just don't want to wash. I think this also ties in to the post in I think Chit Chat about B.O. Anyways, I couldn't believe it because A) you're eating! and B) The bathroom isn't nasty so they had no reason to not want to touch the sink. Plus they provide paper towels so you can use them to shut off the sink after. I was severely grossed out.

[Jill1228]

This is wrong on so many levels! Just straight trifling!

[PM_Mama00]

Originally Posted by RU OX Alum

Exactly. I worked in a restuarant too, if you don't want to wash your hands every so often then something is wrong with you because any time there is food it will get on you if you are around it/handling it.

I manage a restaurant. I don't touch the food except to get soups, salads or bread which is rarely and I am CONSTANTLY washing my hands. I can't imagine not and I think that's nasty that someone would wana go around with crap on their hands.

[Tom Earp]

Then you know how the food police can come in and get their boots on your neck!

Oh Oh, you messed up and you are closed?

Wait until you see some dick wad spit in peoples food!

Never went back to that Arby's again nor any other one!

[fantASTic]

Originally Posted by UGAalum94

I'm as pro-hand washing as the next person, but when you read the first article that Jon posted, you'll see that the case ended up being more about McDonald's not taking the actions that it should have to see if she could have been employed by them in a way that didn't require as frequent hand washing, basically in a non-food handling job.

She had worked there for more than 20 years when she developed some kind of health problem related to frequent hand washing. McDonalds basically just fired her and never even dealt with her directly to see what exactly the problem was and if she could be accommodated.

So while making the case about allowing food service employees to refuse to handle food makes us all interested and outraged, it's really a failure to accommodate a disability lawsuit.

There's no indication that anyone felt that food service employees could refuse to wash their hands.

As someone who worked at McDonald's for several years, there really is NO position in which an employee does not handle food. At all. Cashiers are responsible for fries and condiments, as well as shakes and ice cream and coffee drinks. Cleaning requires handling several liquids. There really is no reasonable position.

[Lady Pi Phi]

Originally Posted by preciousjeni

What I'm saying is wear gloves and then wash the gloves, instead of using your bare hands and washing your bare hands.

I'm not saying it's right. Just how it is. What she should be doing is either not handling food at all, or changing her gloves everytime she handles different food.