Which of the following is a reportable symptom for food workers?

The reportable symptoms for food workers, particularly in the context of food safety, are primarily focused on those that could directly affect the safety and health of the food being prepared. Vomiting or diarrhea is seen as a critical symptom because these conditions can indicate the presence of a contagious illness that could be transmitted to customers through food.

When a food worker experiences vomiting or diarrhea, it raises significant concerns regarding foodborne pathogens, which are often transmitted via contaminated food and surfaces. These symptoms can indicate that the worker may have a gastrointestinal illness, which poses a high risk of food contamination and outbreaks of foodborne diseases. Therefore, it is essential for food establishments to have policies in place that require workers to report these symptoms immediately.

While headaches, nausea, and coughing can be symptoms of illness, they do not pose as immediate and serious a threat to food safety as vomiting or diarrhea. For instance, nausea might not necessarily indicate a contagious illness, and coughing could be related to non-contagious conditions, which typically do not require the same level of response as the critical symptoms of vomiting and diarrhea.