Crazy question put on the radio? What do you think?

Question

First off I listen to drex in the morning 103.5 I love it! Anyway, a lady listener emailed the dj this topic. She was wondering if people that have std's like herpes should be in a job market handling food.
Her experience was that one day on her way to work she stopped a local coffee shop for some expresso. Anyway, the guy who took her ordered had what she claimed to be herpetic lesions all over his mouth. The lady was so grossed out she did not order anything. She came up with the solution that when a worker has noticeable lesions they should not be allowed to be in the front part of an establishment. What do you think?

I used to work at a health food store 2 years ago. There was this customer who had something that looked herpetic lesions that covered is mouth. He had this lesions the whole time I worked there, which was 4 yrs. He would purposely get up in people faces, lick his fingers when he would count his money and try to touch peoples faces. My bestfriend who worked with me refused to wait on him.

Answer 1

Wow, that's nasty. First and foremost, I do believe that something like that on someone so severely noticeable should not be permitted in the workplace handling food. That's just like someone being sick to me. They have medicine available for things like that. The person handling the food should actually know better. They can clearly see that they have something blatently disgusting on their mouth. In my opinion, they should take a few days from work and come back when they have it taken care of. If they don't know better, it's the managers' duty to let them know!

Answer 2

First off, over 90% of the population carries the herpes simplex virus, however, it usually lays dormant in the body until aroused by stress or illness. Hence, cold sores, and canker sores. Even babies get these. However, that's not to say that the sores are pleasant to look at or that you should have to be subject to infections in the case that you are not already carrying the virus. It is up the the restaurant to take the proper precautions such as disinfecting food surfaces, cooking food to the proper temperature, employee hand-washing and gloves. And most restaurants require open sores to be covered, to ensure that there's not even the slightest chance of transmission and to make the consumer feel more secure about the handling of their food. The bottom line, I wouldn't be afraid of it. You have to know the facts. The chances are very slim of you catching it unless if you exchange fluids with the worker.

Answer 3

Sounds good to me, to not let them around food at all.

Do you know who cuts all that "cut fruit" at your local supermarket? One slip of the knife by the wrong person... I don't buy cut fruit anymore. I cut my own.

ADDED: To those who say the people could sue: No, the Health Department should hear about it, and then the store could be closed, so I feel the owner has the right and the responsibility to protect their customers. How would the owner know if it's contageous or not? People with open sores are not allowed to use public swimming pools because of the "possible" health risk. Why should they be allowed around food?

In order to prove they're safe, the person with the sore(s) would have to bring a note from their doctor each time they had one, so I don't think they'd mind keeping away from food, rather than paying a doctor for each outbreak.


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Answer 4

It reminds me of being at the supermarket check out, where some greasy kid is picking a spot and then zapping your shopping through the till; it is off putting.
Ignorance is good sometimes, especially in food environments.

Slightly off subject, but somehow related to who is hidden and who should be on show...
You'll notice in clothes shops that the staff are pretty people usually, the people in the back room behind the scenes that appear in the shop occasionally are usually a bit grim....usually.
It's wrong but the way the world works.

Answer 5

I agree totally! I to was once grossed out by a employee who had sores all over his mouth and wiped his hand on his mouth, i to left without ordering. but I also get grossed out by the handling of money. I think who ever handles money should not be preparing the food...how gross is that!

Answer 6

Hmmm....in no way concept approximately that previously yet I guess the government will evaluate it now which you point out it! lol. hey its alright to be paranoid each and every now and then astounding? as quickly as some years in the past when I had ortho braces on my the teeth, my father advised me to place a pen in my ear and that i may well be waiting to track right into a radio station in the path of the metals in my mouth......it in simple terms approximately worked! possibly you're directly to something. LOL

Answer 7

I agree it is a health concern. I will say that some lesions are contagious so be careful.

Answer 8

I'd tend to agree - I have been turned off by people in the public work area who have open sores

Answer 9

She'd rather not know what's going on behind the scenes than see it for herself and be able to change her mind and not buy anything?

Answer 10

Well, it is disgusting, but I don't think it would be legal to do that to those people unless they were contagious and could pose a threat. It would be discrimination if they just looked nasty.