How long should employee hands be scrubbed during hand washing?

Washing hands thoroughly is a critical component of food safety practices in any culinary environment. The recommended duration for scrubbing hands during hand washing is between 15 to 20 seconds. This time frame allows for effective removal of dirt, bacteria, and viruses from the hands, ensuring that they are clean before handling food.

During this duration, it is important to use soap and to scrub all parts of the hands, including the back of the hands, between fingers, and under nails. Scientific studies have shown that washing for at least 15 seconds significantly reduces the microbial load compared to shorter washing times, hence making this duration the widely accepted standard for proper hand hygiene in food safety protocols.

Longer times, such as 30 seconds or 1 minute, while they may enhance cleanliness, are generally not necessary and could lead to unnecessary waste of water and time without providing significant additional benefits.