Hand Washing Sink Regulations – Tennessee

Tennessee hand washing sink regulations provide guidance and compliance across a number of industries. Though the restaurant industry is one, hand washing sink regulations also apply to daycare centers, tattoo shops, and livestock exhibitions. 

Though the regulations may seem like a lot, they keep staff, patrons, and livestock safe. They also prevent the spread of illnesses and germs. Here’s everything you need to know about hand washing sink regulations in Tennessee.

Which Agency Creates and Enforces Tennessee Hand Washing Sink Regulations?

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services oversees and creates most of the rules and regulations for hand washing sinks, though there are a few notable exceptions. The regulations apply to all restaurants, grocery stores, food trucks, and mobile food establishments.

However, the local county health department is responsible for inspections and monitoring compliance with hand washing sink regulations.

Hand Washing Sink Regulations for Retail Food Stores

These are the hand washing sink regulations for any retail food establishment.

Hand Washing Sink Guidelines

A food service establishment must provide at least one handwashing sink that’s conveniently located by the food dispensing, warewashing, and food preparation areas that isn’t used for food prep or washing utensils. That sink must be easy to clean and provide hot water that’s at least 38 degrees Centigrade or 100 degrees Fahrenheit through a mixing valve or combination faucet. Handwashing sinks cannot use a steam mixing valve.

Each sink or a group of two sinks must provide soap and a way to dry hands. The hand drying method can be single-use paper towels, a continuous towel system, a heated air hand dryer, or a jet hand dryer. Any handwashing sink that uses an automatic faucet must remain open and provide water for at least 15 seconds.

All handwashing sink areas must post the appropriate signage reminding employees to wash their hands before returning to work and have a waste basket for single use paper towels. The sink must also be cleaned as often as necessary to keep it hygienic.

When Staff Should Wash Hands

Food establishment employees need to wash their hands:

• Before doing any food prep, including working with food, cleaning equipment or utensils, and using unwrapped single-serve and single-use items 
• After using the toilet, coughing, sneezing, blowing their nose, smoking, eating, or drinking
• After caring for or handling service animals or aquatic animals
• When switching between raw and ready to eat foods
• Before donning globes

Food services workers should also wash their hands as often as necessary to prevent cross contamination. This includes when working with potential allergens.

Hand Washing Sink Regulations for a Mobile Food Establishment

Mobile food establishments, like a food truck or food cart, follow different hand washing sink regulations.

When a mobile food establishment has a sink, the sink must be at the same height as the food preparation surface and have a mixing valve. It can be a drop-in style or wall-attached sink and must be easily accessible by staff.

This sink has to provide pressurized potable water that heats to at least 110 degrees Fahrenheit. The potable water tank must be at least 30 gallons, though larger operations may be required to have a bigger tank. There also has to be a second tank that stores wastewater that can be easily drained at the end of every day.

When food exposure is limited, and hand washing sinks are not available, food service employees are allowed to clean their hands with chemically treated single-use towelettes.

Hand Washing Sink Regulations for Livestock Exhibitions

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture also has hand washing sink regulations for livestock exhibitions. This is to help stop the spread of bird flu and other diseases that can spread among livestock..

Exhibitors need to provide easily accessible handwashing stations with running water, soap, and disposable paper towels at the exhibition exit. There must be signs that instruct visitors to wash their hands when leaving the exhibit hall.

Handwashing Sink Regulations for Daycare Facilities

Unlike food service establishments, the Department of Human Services, Division of Child Care and Community Services oversees daycare facilities. This department monitors and enforces hand washing sink regulations for child and daycare facilities. The regulations include:

• A hand washing station must be near every diapering and toilet area but separate from the food preparation area.
• Staff must wash their hands after every diaper change and wash the child’s hands if they’re dirty.
• Staff and children must wash their hands before and after every meal, snack, or bottle feeding.
• No children can be in a facility that doesn’t have an adequate water supply for hand washing.

Handwashing Sink Regulations for Tattoo Shops

Tattoo shops have a separate set of hand washing sink guidelines that are set by general Tennessee state law. This includes:

• Every tattoo shop must have a handwashing sink that’s only for staff and not part of the bathroom.
• The sink must have hot and cold running water, antibacterial solutions (like soap), and single-use towels.
• The tattoo artist must wash their hands with an antibacterial solution and hot running water before and after the tattoo application.

Hand Washing Sink Solutions

Though Tennessee allows people to use alternatives to traditional hand washing in some situations, washing your hands with soap and water is generally the best way to prevent cross-contamination that can cause food-borne illnesses and stop the spread of germs.

When traditional plumbing isn’t an option, a portable sink can get the job done. Ozark Manufacturing has portable sinks with hot and cold running water, large storage tanks, compartments for soap and towels, and are perfect for: 

• Bars
• Beauty, Day Spas, & Wellness
• Commercial
• Construction & Job Sites
• Daycare
• Classrooms
• Events, Concerts, & Weddings
• Farms & Barns
• Restaurants & Food Service
• Garages & Workshops
• Healthcare & Clinics
• Patio & Home Use
• Retail Stores
• Science Labs
• Tattoo Shops

Contact us today to see what Ozark Manufacturing’s portable sinks can do for your business.