Privacy Issue?

psrcello

Our company is subject to AIB (American Institute of Baking) regulations and inspections, since our product (mulltiwall paper bags) will eventually contain food products.

One of the AIB rules requires that any employee who has infected cuts or wounds, boils, sores, skin complaints, or diarrhea shall not be permitted to handle work in progress, and theat the company shall have a procedure requiring that employees report any infectious diseases they have or may have come in contact with.

First of all, I'm not sure I want to know (yuk!). However, if we implement such a reporting procedure, might we run afoul of any privacy issues in requiring employees to disclose this information?

Shadowfax

Is the AIB government sponsored? funded? mandated? related on any way? If so, it should have a procedure for you to obtain the necesary information and how it is to be handled. Employers doi have a right to relevant medical information, but how it is handled and the number of eyes to see it is strictly regulated. But I'd sure want to know on what basis AIB demands, requires, whatever, the info. These kinds of questins make me think all the more about what I'm buying, where it's been, how it was made etc. Yikes!

psrcello

The AIB has published Consolidated Standards for Food-Contact Packaging Manufacturing Facilities since the 1950s. They are a "tool" to permit food-contact packaging operations to evaluate product safety risks within their operations. AIB also promulgates standards for actual food manufacturing/processing facilities, including pet food.

We undergo an annual inspection by the AIB for everything from mouse droppings on the plant floor to all employees wearing hair nets. Our customers, for the most part, require us to achieve a superior rating from the AIB in order to continue purchasing our products.

Actually, you should be glad to hear that the AIB has fairly high standards for food manufacturers and also the manufacturers of the packaging that the food comes in!

They don't recommend any specific procedures for the issue of employees reporting infectious diseases - only that the employer MUST have such a procedure in place.