One of the primary means through which food borne illnesses are spread is person-to-person contact, via the hands. Food service workers are required to wash their hands whenever switching tasks and if their hands become excessively soiled. As an additional precaution, many restaurants require their employees to wear gloves whenever handling food items.
Time and temperature are two more factors that contribute to food poisoning. If potentially hazardous food items (meat, dairy, casseroles, etc) remain between the temperatures of 40 and 140 °F for more than two hours, they are unsafe to eat and need to be thrown out. You will need to regularly check all prepared and stored food to make sure it is not in the Danger Zone.