State urges compliance with latex gloves ban

Food inspectors from the state Department of Health will begin stepping up enforcement of a law banning the use of latex gloves in the food service industry.

“Enforcing the prohibition will be a routine part of our food safety inspections,” said Peter Oshiro, director of the state’s food safety program. “Our inspectors and field staff will be checking food establishments to ensure that workers are not using latex gloves, and educating management and staff about the new law.”

Act 180 was introduced in 2015 at the state Legislature and went into effect Jan 1. It prohibits food establishment employees from wearing latex gloves at work, and is intended to protect people with latex allergies from “severe and potentially life-threatening” reactions, according to a DOH release.

About 3 million Americans are allergic to latex.

DOH mandates that employees who come in contact with ready-to-eat products wear gloves to prevent illness from spreading.

The release notes that non-latex and nitrile gloves are “readily available and currently used by employees in both the food service and health care industries.”

Noncompliance with the law could result in fines of up to $10,000 for each offense. Violations of the ban will not affect a food establishment’s placard status, however.

The DOH also requested that the Hawaii Restaurant Association, Hawaii Food Manufacturers Association, the Hawaii Food Industry Association and the Hawaii Lodging and Tourism Associations remind their members about the latex glove prohibition.

For more information about the department’s food safety program, visit http://health.hawaii.gov/san/.