This is a subject out of my field - When should blue plasters (bp) be issued ? 1 - Within only the food industry? 2 - is there any legislation / acops covering the need for bp? 3 - when can any other plasters be used within the food industry? As ever thanks for your knowledgeable answers. Badger

It WAS my field, up to three years ago... Best practice in food manufacture is to use detectable plasters - which in practice means the blue ones with the metal detectable strips. Although I say best practice - if you want to be approved to supply food to any of the chains you have to do it, and your EHO wold be pretty displeased if you didn't anyway. Only blue plasters should be used anywhere in food production areas, excpet on wounds which are going to be completely covered by clothing and therefore couldn't get into the food. We used to insist on blue for anyone except office staff who never entered food handling areas. Also, anyone who comes to work with an ordinary plaster on a wound done outside had to change it for a blue one before starting work.

To extend my series of questions further - 4- What are the requirements for bp's in food retail shops? Badger

Hi Barrie, What you're looking for are the series of 'Industry Guides to Good Hygiene Practice' which are available from The Stationery Office. They are specific to areas of the food industry although only a small number are currently available at the moment, even though the law changed some time ago. The guides are published under Article 7 of Regulation (EC) 852/2004 which was enacted as (I think) The Food Hygiene (England) Regulations 2006. The guides, like ACOPs are not mandatory and food businesses are able to demonstrate compliance with the legislation in other ways. The guide for catering is not yet published however by virtue of a clause within Regulation (EC) 852/2004, codes that were developed in accordance with the previous hygiene Directive (93/43/EEC) shall continue to apply if they remain compatible with the objectives of the new legislation. Fortunately the Catering Guide is still compatible and it states....... Legal Requirement: Every person working in a food handling area shall maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness and shall wear suitable, clean and, where appropriate, protective clothing. Guide to Compliance: Persons working in food handling areas must also practice good hygiene. They must for example: [....] cover wounds likely to cause risk of contamination of foods (on hands or other exposed parts of the body) with waterproof dressings. Advice on Good Practice: It is good practice to use brightly coloured wound dressings that are easy to spot if they come off. I only have a copy of the catering guide so can't really answer the question about shops or manufacturing. I would suggest that the requirment to wear blue plasters in a shop would depend on the activity being undertaken in the shop, so if they were making sandwiches they would be covered by the catering guide.

Thanks to everyone who replied with informative answers. To sum up then as a generalisation: Theres the first aid regs covering the minor injuries and a loose ACoP for the need for blue plasters (with / without metal strips) but this is subjective in food retail shops. Badger