Waiter in catering business

Question

Hello,
I have employed in my catering business a person suffering from CF. In order to protect her of eventual health risks, I would like to know, if I can put her on cleaning the guests toilets sporadically, or if I should better not mention it in her description of her duties. She herself does not demand a special treatment, the protection of her health corresponds to the guiding principles of our company.
Can the prepared cleaning water on the cleaning car be used for more than 12 hours? A new rag is used for every cleaning.
Do we have to take more things into account?
Many thanks for your answer.

Answer

Dear questioner,
first of all I want to thank you that you are so regardfull concerning your employees! Even if this should be taken for granted, this is not the case in everyday life, therefore thank you a lot!
To your question:
CF patients are in danger because of certain germs, so-called humid-germs, like e.g. Pseudomonas aeruginosa, as those could lead to infections of the airways and the lungs. These germs multiply mostly in humid environment and therefore occur in humid locations.
One can find them on humid ground and superficial waters also in the tap water, sink, showers, toilets, washing machines, devices for dialysis, even in disinfectants, i.a. In stagnant water, the germs multiply especially well. The germs can develop resistances against disinfectants as well as against antibiotics. This is problmatic for patients with CF, in case of an infection with those germs. In this context, we recommend to CF patients to avoid contact to stagnant water and would dehort works in the frame of a catering business that include cleaning the toilets. A cleaning water, that is standing for 12 hours, can indeed be a reservoir for humid germs.
In case hygiene measures are followed correctly and the specialties of the illness are taken into account individually, nothing speaks in general against an employment of a CF paitent in a catering business.
I hope to have helped you further with my information.

Best regards,
Yours Dr. med. Christina Smaczny

15.11.2015