Florida Violation V02: Employee health policy

High PrioritySeverity
PersonnelCategory
3,592Citations (12 mo)
Codes 01–28Classification

Under Florida's food safety regulations, V02 (Employee health policy) is a high priority violation addressing Personnel standards.

Reference: 61C-4.023(2)

What the Code Says

V02 — Employee health policy

No employee health policy or inadequate policy

— Florida Administrative Code 61C-4, FDA Food Code

Why This Matters

DISEASE TRANSMISSION: Without a written employee health policy, sick food workers transmit Norovirus (20 million US cases/year), Hepatitis A (causes liver failure), Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli O157:H7. CDC estimates 40% of restaurant outbreaks involve ill food workers. A single infected employee can contaminate food for thousands of customers.

CDC Risk Factor Classification: Poor Personal Hygiene - CDC Risk Factor #5

The CDC identifies five major contributing factors to foodborne illness outbreaks: food from unsafe sources, inadequate cooking, improper holding temperatures, contaminated equipment, and poor personal hygiene. Source: CDC Contributing Factors

Real-World Impact

In 2017, a Hepatitis A outbreak at a Michigan restaurant sickened over 170 people and killed 1. Investigators found the establishment had no written employee health policy requiring workers to report symptoms of vomiting, diarrhea, or jaundice. Had a health policy been in place and enforced, the infected worker would have been excluded before spreading the virus.

Source: CDC MMWR — Hepatitis A Outbreak, Michigan 2016-2017

Code Requirements

Maintain written employee health policy addressing: reporting of symptoms (vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever), diagnosed illnesses (Norovirus, Hepatitis A, Salmonella, Shigella, E. coli), exclusion and restriction criteria, and return-to-work requirements. Train all employees on policy at hiring and annually.

References

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Florida food safety violation V02?
No employee health policy or inadequate policy This is classified as a high priority violation under the Personnel category.
Why is violation V02 (Employee health policy) dangerous?
DISEASE TRANSMISSION: Without a written employee health policy, sick food workers transmit Norovirus (20 million US cases/year), Hepatitis A (causes liver failure), Salmonella, Shigella, and E. coli O157:H7. CDC estimates 40% of restaurant outbreaks involve ill food workers. A single infected employ...
What CDC risk factor does this violation fall under?
This violation is classified under: Poor Personal Hygiene - CDC Risk Factor #5.

Data source: Florida DBPR public inspection records. Health risk information sourced from CDC, FDA Food Code, and peer-reviewed research. How we collect and verify this data.