If a staff member reports vomiting for the past 12 hours, what should you do?

When a staff member reports vomiting, it is crucial to prioritize food safety and protect the health of both employees and customers. Excluding the staff member from the operation is the appropriate response because vomiting can be a symptom of a contagious illness that can easily spread through food or surfaces.

Excluding the individual helps to prevent the potential transmission of pathogens that could contaminate food and utensils. This action is consistent with food safety protocols, which aim to minimize risks associated with foodborne illness.

In this context, allowing the staff member to work with unwrapped TCS (Time/Temperature Control for Safety) foods, utensils, and equipment would pose a significant health risk, as it could lead to contamination. Similarly, restricting the employee to non-food contact activities does not mitigate the risk adequately, as illness symptoms can still affect their ability to carry out any work safely. Reporting the illness to the Health Department is important but takes place after immediate actions to protect food safety, such as exclusion, have been taken.