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We don’t have a regular break room in our practice. Is it OK to eat “light” snacks in the treatment area or an exam room?

There is no regulation that requires any practice to provide a break room for the staff; however, if the practice ALLOWS the staff to store, prepare or consume food on the premises, the practice must provide a place that is free from biological and chemical hazards. In short, the staff can not be allowed to store, prepare or consume food in areas where these hazards exist.

Because the veterinary hospital is just that... a hospital, we must accept that certain activities are not appropriate in all areas of the facility. And since one of the most frequent ways pathogenic organisms and hazardous chemicals enter the body is through the nose and mouth, extreme care must be taken when taking breaks or meals. Since we can’t really control the movement of those dangerous pathogens in the air currents of the facility, we must take measures to control the places where food is stored, prepared or consumed in order to prevent unintentional contamination. In the veterinary practice, this is generally interpreted to mean that food for human consumption of any kind should not be allowed in the medical, kennel or bathroom areas of the hospital.

This same logic also means that food for human consumption should never be stored in the same area, cabinet, refrigerator or freezer with lab samples or chemicals. Since animals are not covered by OSHA, there is no prohibition in keeping animal feed in any of these areas, however, precautions to prevent contamination by chemicals or biological pathogens is always a wise course. It is acceptable to store wholesome animal feed in the same area as human food, provided there is no chance of contamination with pathogens. For instance, it would be acceptable to store processed dog or cat food in the refrigerator with the staff’s meals, but it would not be acceptable to store unprocessed chicken or rodents for feeding raptors in the same refrigerator with the staff’s meals.

Food should never be prepared in a hazardous area either. Staff coffee pots or "condiment drawers" should not be located near sources of contamination such as the lab, kennel, bathing area, dental station or chemotherapy treatment room. Cabinets and shelves above a coffee or food preparations area should be free of hazardous chemicals or supplies. The food preparation area must be maintained in a safe and sanitary manner.

Although there is not a sentence in OSHA’s standards that says...“thou shalt have the right to drink coffee in the treatment room,” it is generally not a cause for a citation or fine if done with a healthy dose of common sense. For instance, cups or bottles with a covered lid (like screw-on soda bottles or “travel mugs” for coffee) are normally considered safe to use in the treatment room or kennels as long as they are kept away from the activities in the room and remain covered when not in use. Beverages, in addition to food, are not recommended in chemotherapy or laboratory areas at any time.

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The information on these pages is excerpted from
The Veterinary Safety & Health Digest,
Copyright 2008 Philip J. Seibert, Jr., CVT  All Rights Reserved
No part of this publication may be reproduced for distribution without prior permission from the publisher.