Food handlers who wear gloves should wash their hands before putting gloves on and every time they change to a new pair. The FDA Food Code is explicit: handwashing is required immediately before donning gloves to begin any task involving food. Gloves are not a substitute for clean hands, and skipping the wash is one of the most common mistakes in food service.
Before Putting On Gloves
Every new pair of gloves starts with a handwash. The FDA Food Code (§ 2-301.14) requires food employees to clean their hands and exposed portions of their arms immediately before donning gloves to initiate any task that involves working with food. This applies whether you’re prepping vegetables, plating a dish, or handling bread rolls. The standard is at least 20 seconds with soap and warm water, scrubbing all surfaces of the hands and fingers.
This step matters because gloves aren’t sterile out of the box. They can have micro-tears you can’t see, and bacteria on your skin will thrive in the warm, moist environment inside a glove. Starting with clean hands means that if a glove fails, your skin underneath isn’t already contaminated.
Between Different Tasks
Switching tasks is one of the most critical moments for handwashing and glove changes. The FDA requires that single-use gloves be used for only one task and discarded when that task is done. “One task” is defined narrowly. Handling raw chicken is one task. Assembling a salad is a completely different task. You cannot do both in the same pair of gloves.
The sequence is always the same: remove the old gloves, wash your hands, then put on a fresh pair. This is especially important when moving from raw animal proteins (meat, poultry, fish, eggs) to cooked or ready-to-eat foods. Raw meat carries bacteria that can transfer to your hands during glove removal, and those bacteria will end up inside your next pair of gloves if you skip the wash.
When Gloves Are Damaged or Soiled
Torn, punctured, or visibly dirty gloves need to come off immediately. Even a small rip exposes your hands to whatever you’ve been touching, and it exposes the food to whatever is on your skin. Once you remove the damaged gloves, wash your hands before putting on a new pair.
Gloves also need to be changed if they become contaminated by something other than the food you’re working with. Touching a door handle, a refrigerator door, a faucet, a trash can, or a money register all count as contamination events. Each one requires the same full cycle: remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves.
After Handling Money or Non-Food Surfaces
This is a common gap in busy kitchens and food trucks. A worker handles a cash payment or swipes a credit card, then goes right back to food prep. Money is one of the most frequently handled objects in daily life, and payment terminals aren’t much cleaner. If you touch either one, you need to wash your hands and change your gloves before returning to food tasks. The same goes for touching equipment surfaces like drawer handles, prep tables, or walk-in cooler doors.
At Least Every Four Hours of Continuous Use
Even if you’re performing the same task without interruption, gloves have a time limit. Guidelines from food safety authorities recommend changing gloves at least every two to four hours of continuous use. The longer you wear a pair, the more likely it is to develop invisible tears, and the more bacteria build up on your hands inside the glove. Warm, sweaty conditions inside the glove create an ideal environment for bacterial growth. Wash your hands at each change, even if nothing has gone wrong.
After Removing Gloves
The act of taking gloves off can contaminate your hands. The outer surface of a used glove has been in contact with food, surfaces, and potentially harmful bacteria. When you peel the glove away, that outer surface often brushes against your bare skin. The CDC notes that dirty gloves can soil hands during removal, which is why hand cleaning after taking gloves off is just as important as washing before putting them on.
Research from the University of Minnesota’s Center for Infectious Disease Research found that glove use in food service often gives workers a false sense of security. Observers in one study noted that food handlers frequently reused gloves and almost never changed them during food preparation. The result was that restaurants where workers wore gloves actually had higher rates of coliform bacteria on food contact surfaces, not because gloves are ineffective, but because workers skipped the handwashing that’s supposed to go with them.
The Full Sequence at a Glance
- Before starting food prep: wash hands, then put on gloves
- Between different tasks: remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves
- After touching raw meat, poultry, fish, or eggs: remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves before handling ready-to-eat food
- After touching non-food surfaces: remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves
- After handling money or cards: remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves
- When gloves are torn or dirty: remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves
- Every 2 to 4 hours of continuous use: remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves
- After any interruption: remove gloves, wash hands, put on new gloves
The pattern is simple once you see it: gloves never replace handwashing. They add a layer of protection on top of it. Every time gloves come off and a new pair goes on, your hands get washed in between. No exceptions.