Title: Condition of the building
Course: Hygiene and Environmental Health Part 1 - Ethiopia (Full)

Condition of the building

The space available must be adequate to provide the kind of service that the establishment carries out. Depending on the nature of the establishment, the space may include a kitchen, dining room, drinking room, food storage sites, and a utensil washing site. Building structures and their interiors should permit good hygienic practices, including protection against cross-contamination of food surfaces between and during operations. The provision of a window for each room should ensure adequate lighting.

Structures within processing establishments should be soundly built of durable materials and be easy to maintain, clean and, where appropriate, disinfect. Floor and wall surfaces must be cleanable and washable. The surface of the walls must have a light colour that maximises the interior lighting. The roof must be cleanable and maintained free of dirt.

Dining rooms and coffee or tea drinking rooms

The dining room should be very attractive in terms of its cleanliness, lighting and natural ventilation. The cleanliness of the walls, floor and ceiling must be acceptable and the chairs and tables must be in good repair. Food remains must not be dropped on the floor but should be collected and disposed of in a garbage container. The provision of an appropriately sized garbage container, about 10–15 litres, is important.

Hotel bedrooms

The principles of healthful housing that you have learned about in Study Session 4 are also applicable to hotel bedrooms. The cleanliness of the bedding (sheets, blanket, hard surfaces), floor, walls and ceiling are important. A chair and table are also useful for the client's comfort. A small waste bin must be available. Good ventilation and lighting are also essential components of a hygienic bedroom.