Under California Retail Food Code §113949.4, a food employee who EXPERIENCED A VOMITING EPISODE at work must be excluded for at least what minimum time after the last episode?
Explanation
California Retail Food Code HSC §113949.4 (adopting FDA Food Code 2-201.13) requires exclusion of a food employee who vomits at work for a MINIMUM of 24 hours symptom-free after the last vomiting episode, before return. Vomiting is treated as a high-suspicion event for Norovirus, which can be aerosolized in vomit droplets and spread over a wide radius (documented dispersal up to 25 feet). The 24-hour minimum is consistent with the exclusion requirement for diarrhea; many California enforcement agencies and corporate operators apply 48 hours as a safer interval because Norovirus shedding continues well after symptoms stop. In addition to exclusion, California Retail Food Code §114049 (vomit and fecal accident cleanup) requires the facility to have a WRITTEN procedure for: (a) safely cleaning the contamination using an EPA-registered Norovirus-effective product (typically chlorine at ≥1000 ppm, or an EPA List G product), (b) discarding food in the splash radius, (c) isolating and re-sanitizing the area, and (d) evaluating exposed staff. Options A, B, and C are all shorter than the 24-hour code minimum and are non-compliant.
Law Reference: HSC §113949.4Practice all 319 questions free — no signup required.
Related questions on this topic
- A food employee was excluded after a positive stool culture for nontyphoidal Salmonella. What must occur before they are allowed to return to work?
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