No. Under the FDA Food Code, employees may not wash their hands in a sink used for food preparation, and a hand sink may not be used for anything except handwashing. The two jobs need two separate sinks.
For prep and utility work, see this 2 compartment utility prep sink with a left drainboard.
If an older hand sink needs a new faucet, see this commercial hand sink faucet for 4 in. centers.
What the Food Code says
Section 2-301.15 of the 2022 FDA Food Code tells employees where to wash: in a handwashing sink or an approved automatic handwashing facility. The same section says they may not clean their hands in a sink used for food preparation or warewashing, or in a service sink used for mop water.
The rule runs the other way too. Section 5-205.11 says a handwashing sink must be kept accessible at all times and may not be used for purposes other than handwashing. Rinsing lettuce or thawing shrimp in the hand sink is a violation.
The reason behind the rule
Handwashing removes soil and germs from skin and leaves them in the bowl and on the faucet handles. If produce goes into that bowl next, it picks up what was just washed off. A prep sink has the opposite problem. When it is full of food, nobody can wash their hands there, so staff skip the wash. Separate sinks solve both problems.
Where a dedicated prep sink is required
This part varies. The Food Code clearly separates handwashing from food sinks, but it does not contain a single section that orders every establishment to install a dedicated food preparation sink. Section 4-501.16 allows a warewashing sink to be used to wash produce or thaw food if the sink is cleaned and sanitized before and after each use.
Many states and counties are stricter than that. California’s Retail Food Code calls for a food preparation sink in facilities that prepare food, and California county plan guides list minimum bowl sizes for it. Some county health departments in other states require a prep sink whenever the menu involves washing produce, thawing frozen food or cooling food in an ice bath. Some states limit or do not allow the Food Code option of washing produce in the three compartment sink.
Your local health department has the final say on whether you need a separate prep sink and how it must be plumbed, so confirm with your inspector before you buy.
Common inspection problems
- Staff washing hands in the prep sink because it is closer than the hand sink.
- Produce rinsed or food thawed in the hand sink.
- A hand sink mounted so close to the prep sink or a prep table that soapy water splashes onto food. Inspectors commonly ask for distance or a splash guard between them. The Food Code does not give a measurement for this, and some local codes do.
- A prep sink drained straight into the sewer line. The Food Code’s backflow rule in section 5-402.11 generally does not allow a direct connection between the sewage system and a drain from equipment that holds food, so prep sinks are normally plumbed with an indirect drain such as an air gap over a floor sink. Ask your plumber and inspector how your jurisdiction handles it.
- No hand sink near the prep area at all, which leaves staff with no legal place to wash.
What to buy
Plan on one sink for each job and label them if your staff tends to mix them up.
- One or two compartment prep sinks with a drainboard, sized for your largest colander or food pan. If your state sets minimum bowl dimensions, check them against the spec sheet.
- Wall mounted hand sinks within easy reach of the prep area. Side splashes are useful when the sink sits next to food.
- Three bowl compartment sinks for wash, rinse and sanitize, so dishes do not end up in the prep sink.
- Stainless work tables beside the prep sink for landing washed product.
Express KitchQuip’s own stainless steel sinks and tables are NSF certified, and freight to the 48 contiguous states is included in the price. No sink can guarantee an inspection result on its own. Layout, plumbing and daily use all count, so get your plan approved before ordering.