Global GAP: these are the personal hygiene requirements in greenhouse horticulture

Global GAP personal hygiene requirements in greenhouse horticulture

To comply with the guidelines of the Global GAP as a business person in the greenhouse horticulture sector, you have to comply with requirements in a range of areas. Personal hygiene is one of them. In this blog, Elpress explains the measures you can take in this area.

The guidelines for Global GAP certification within the greenhouse horticulture sector concern aspects such as the use of pesticides, the correct use of fertilisers, preventive maintenance and cleaning as well as personal hygiene.

For the last point in this list, you should prepare hygiene instructions for your employees and visitors who enter your greenhouse. It is important that these instructions are clear and easy to see for everyone who enters the greenhouse. Pictograms can be used and – if necessary – the instructions should be presented in several languages.

Personal hygiene

The rules for personal hygiene can vary by business, depending on the nature of the work and the specific hygiene policy in force. Below you will find a summary of concrete measures that you can take for guaranteeing personal hygiene in your greenhouses. You can modify or extend these measures yourself as you wish, obviously without losing sight of the established guidelines of Global GAP.

Personal hygiene measures according to the guidelines of Global GAP

(note: these measures form ‘only’ a guide for your own hygiene protocol):

  • Work clothing and gloves must be clean and regularly washed or replaced.
  • After working with pesticides, clothing should be washed or replaced.
  • After visiting the toilet and before starting work, hands should be washed with liquid soap and dried.
  • Long hair should be tied up.
  • No jewellery or loose-hanging objects may be worn.
  • The fingernails of the employees must be short and cared for.
  • Nail varnish and artificial nails are not permitted, unless gloves are worn.
  • Eating and drinking in the greenhouses is not permitted (with the exception of water consumed from plastic bottles).
  • Smoking in the greenhouses is not permitted.
  • Infectious diseases and skin conditions must be reported to the supervisor.
  • Open wounds must be covered with non-skin coloured, opaque plasters.
  • For larger wounds on the hands – whether or not covered with a bandage – gloves should be worn.

Hygiene Selector

Hygiene Selector

Do you also want to comply with the guidelines of the Global GAP? Then take an important step by installing a hygiene lock. Do you want to know which hygiene lock layout best suits your business? Then fill in the Hygiene Selector. The areas your hygiene lock must satisfy are simply explained in five steps, directly followed by tailored, no-obligation advice.

Start the Hygiene Selector

 

Maarten de Geus