Final answer:
To minimize the risk of foodborne illnesses in veterinary hospitals, employees should practice good hygiene, including handwashing and proper food handling, and eat only in designated areas to avoid ingestion of contaminated food or water.
Step-by-step explanation:
Ingestion of pathogenic organisms or harmful chemicals while eating on the job is a concern in veterinary hospitals. Therefore, hygiene practices are essential to reducing the risk of foodborne illnesses. Handwashing and proper food handling can prevent the spread of pathogens both to and from farm animals and in food consumed by employees. It is recommended that employees should wash their hands before and after eating, before and after handling animals, their food, or waste, and certainly after using the bathroom or handling potentially contaminated items. Moreover, eating should be restricted to designated areas away from where animals are treated or where their waste is handled to avoid the risk of ingestion of contaminated food or water. Following simple practices like keeping hot foods hot, and cold foods cold and thorough cooking and washing of food and utensils can reduce foodborne illness significantly.