"Food workers who clock in when sick cause a significant share of food-borne illness, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said in a new report, and many establishments don’t have adequate policies to prevent employees from working while contagious.
About 40 percent of outbreaks in a study spanning 2017 to 2019 were associated with food contamination by a contagious worker, the CDC said in the report released this week, which examined data reported by 25 local and state health departments covering hundreds of outbreaks at restaurants.
Norovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea, was confirmed or suspected to have accounted for 47 percent of outbreaks, making it the most common single cause of food poisoning. The bacteria salmonella was the second-most-common cause, accounting for just under 19 percent of instances. ...
Fewer than half of managers said their workplaces had paid sick leave. Workers show up ill to avoid losing pay or because of social pressure, the report said research has indicated."
Justine McDaniel reports for the Washington Post May 31, 2023.
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