It’s an unfortunate fact that holiday season coincides with flu season. If you’ll be feeding the crowds this year, it’s important to put a focus on safe food handling so that diners leave your restaurant still feeling festive.

One of the best ways to prevent food poisoning is placing an emphasis on proper hand washing. Taking time to train your employees in technique could save you from contributing to the spread of food borne illness. Here are a few tips and tools to ensure healthy handling:

-Employees should wash their hands after using the washroom, touching their hair or clothing; sneezing or coughing; eating, drinking or smoking; taking out the trash; or busing tables.

-Crank up the heat on your sink. Use water as hot as you can comfortably stand, ideally 100 degrees Fahrenheit.

-Soap dispensers should be well stocked and employees should aim for a quarter-sized amount of liquid soap.

-Apply lots of friction to your palms, fingers and fingertips and don’t forget to scrub your forearms.

-Wash for about 20 seconds, or the amount of time it takes to sing 2 choruses of Happy Birthday.

-Rinse the soap off your hands and wipe them thoroughly with clean paper towels.

-Use the same paper towel to turn off the faucet and promptly discard it in the trash.

Enforce the rule of no bare-hand contact with ready-to-eat foods and the practice of hand washing by hanging up signs to remind your employees.

Even the cleanest hands are not as safe as disposable gloves. Investing in a box may be the best way to ensure that your employees are not spreading food borne illness to holiday patrons.