Employee Health and Illness Reporting

Reporting is not optional and it is not a judgement call. If you have one of these symptoms, your manager must know before your shift.

• Report to your manager before your shift if you have vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, or a sore throat with fever.
• Jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes) is a reportable symptom that may indicate Hepatitis A and must be reported to the health authority.
• Report an infected, open or draining wound on your hands, wrists or arms.
• Report a diagnosis of any of the Big 6 pathogens — and also report if a household member has been diagnosed with one or is exposed to an outbreak.
• Cover cuts and wounds, and don't work with exposed sores or infections on your hands or arms.

The response depends on the symptom, the diagnosis and where you work — the two levels are restriction and exclusion.

• Restriction (limited duties, no food contact) may apply for some symptoms, while exclusion (no work at all) applies to more serious cases.
• A sore throat with fever normally results in restriction — but in an establishment serving a highly susceptible population, it results in exclusion.
• Vomiting and diarrhea always result in exclusion from the establishment until the conditions for return are met.
• Jaundice and a diagnosed Big 6 illness result in exclusion, and the regulatory authority must be notified.
• Restricted employees may not work with exposed food, clean equipment, utensils, linens or single-use items.

Establishments are required to have a written policy so that reporting is expected, documented and protected.

• Every establishment must have a written employee health policy, and staff are typically asked to sign a reporting agreement acknowledging their duty to report.
• The person in charge (PIC) is responsible for knowing the reportable symptoms and illnesses and for acting on a report.
• The PIC must notify the regulatory authority for jaundice and Big 6 diagnoses.
• Never come to work sick to avoid losing a shift. Working while symptomatic is how outbreaks start, and the establishment is legally required to send you home.
• Reports should be documented — date, symptom, action taken — so the establishment can demonstrate compliance.

Feeling better is not the standard. Return-to-work rules exist because people stay contagious after symptoms stop.

• After vomiting or diarrhea, you may generally return once you have been symptom-free for at least 24 hours, or with written medical clearance.
• Employees diagnosed with a Big 6 pathogen must be excluded from the food establishment until a health authority clears them to return.
• For Norovirus, clearance is typically 24-48 hours after symptoms end; for Hepatitis A, it can require weeks and medical documentation.
• For jaundice, return requires approval from the regulatory authority and a medical release.
• When you return, wash your hands thoroughly and follow all hygiene practices — you may still shed pathogens for a period after recovery.