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Food Handler · Staff Training and Supervision

A food manager discovers that a prep cook has been diagnosed with Hepatitis A. The cook worked 3 days while potentially infectious. What must the manager do?

Reviewed by Jordan Morley, Editorial Lead at 247SimpleTests. Written by the 247SimpleTests Editorial Team from the official source material cited on every question.

Correct answer

Report to the local health department immediately; identify the dates the employee worked while potentially infectious; notify potentially exposed customers and coworkers per health department guidance; cooperate fully with outbreak investigation — Hepatitis A is a reportable disease

  1. A Only address it if customers complain
  2. B Keep it private and monitor the situation
  3. C Report to the local health department immediately; identify the dates the employee worked while potentially infectious; notify potentially exposed customers and coworkers per health department guidance; cooperate fully with outbreak investigation — Hepatitis A is a reportable disease
  4. D Send the employee home and take no further action

Why this is the answer

HEPATITIS A is a REPORTABLE DISEASE — the food manager is legally required to notify the local health department immediately upon learning of a confirmed case in a food worker.

Next steps: EXCLUDE the employee from work immediately (CDC requires 7 days from jaundice onset).

Contact health department: They will guide the investigation including: identifying exposure window (typically 15-50 days incubation); notifying exposed customers if the worker handled ready-to-eat foods; assessing post-exposure prophylaxis options for exposed workers and contacts.

Full cooperation: Document the employee's work schedule, duties, and food items handled; the health department investigation protects public health.

Prevention: Hepatitis A vaccination for food workers is strongly recommended and required in some jurisdictions.

Source: FDA Food Code, Reportable Diseases — Hepatitis A

Practice more questions

This question is from our Food Handler Certification Practice Tests practice test. Take the full practice test to test your knowledge across all Staff Training and Supervision and other topics.

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About this topic: Staff Training and Supervision

Staff training and supervision questions cover the manager's duty to train on food safety, verify understanding, enforce hygiene and illness policies, and document training — including handling an employee who reports a reportable illness. This is one of 13 Food Manager questions on staff training and supervision, each with a full explanation on a single study page.

New to this exam? Our Food Handler exam guide explains the format, scoring, and how to prepare.

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