The first 90 minutes of a new food handler\'s shift set the food safety culture they will follow for the rest of their time in your kitchen. Most Irish food businesses do this informally - "follow Mary around for an hour and you\'ll pick it up". A structured Day-1 HACCP onboarding produces dramatically better outcomes and is what the FSAI now expects.
The day-1 checklist
Before the shift
- Confirm the new starter is wearing clean whites and has hair restraint.
- Check footwear - non-slip, closed-toe.
- Sign-in: contract, food handler training declaration, allergen awareness declaration.
First 15 minutes - reading and induction
- Personal hygiene SOP - sign and date.
- Food handler illness reporting policy - sign and date.
- Allergen policy - sign and date.
- HACCP plan summary (1 page) - read and sign.
Minutes 15-45 - kitchen walkthrough
- Wash-hand basin location and use.
- Probe location and calibration log.
- Fridge stacking order and temperature monitoring.
- Colour-coded boards and utensils.
- Allergen-handling station.
- Cleaning chemicals storage and SDS file.
- Pest control bait stations.
- Emergency exits and first-aid box.
Minutes 45-90 - HACCP training module
Sit the new starter at a tablet or PC and run them through a short HACCP online course. They emerge with a same-day HACCP certificate that goes straight into their personal training file.
End of shift - debrief
- Five-minute review with the shift manager.
- Three questions: "what was confusing?", "what would you change?", "any safety concern?".
- Sign-off form filed in the training folder.
The first week
- Day 2 - shadow probe checks and fridge logs.
- Day 3 - allergen wash-down practice.
- Day 4 - calibrate a probe under supervision.
- Day 5 - independent monitoring round.
- Day 7 - first-week review with the manager.
What to keep in the personal training file
- Day-1 onboarding checklist signed.
- HACCP certificate (from HACCP course).
- Allergen awareness declaration.
- Illness reporting acknowledgement.
- Refresher diary entry (every 1-2 years).
Why this matters on inspection
EHOs increasingly ask: "show me the personal training file for the staff member who started most recently." A complete day-1 file is one of the strongest signals of a well-run HACCP system. Without it, even confident verbal answers from staff are treated as anecdotal.
