The Health Department yesterday urged the public to take precautions when handling food and potentially dangerous equipment.

Chief Medical Officer John Cann reminded the public that food borne and water borne illnesses can be prevented by observing everyday safety rules.

Foods such as meats, seafood, milk and other dairy products, eggs and cooked foods should be stored at five degrees Celsius (41 degrees Fahrenheit), and as a general rule fish and meats should only be kept under refrigeration for up to two days.

Disease causing bacteria can flourish in foods that have not been handled properly, he said.

"Go by your own senses. If food smells bad, don't use it - throw it out," he said.

"If it looks bad, don't use it - throw it out."

Care should also be taken to store drinking water safely, he said. Guidelines for disinfecting drinking water are in the Blue pages of the telephone book (page 23).

And on the use of equipment such as chainsaws and machetes, to clear away debris, he said unsafe practices could cause unnecessary injuries.

"If you haven't been trained in using a chainsaw, you need to learn and have the basics in place," Dr. Cann said.

"Hold it away from other individuals and your own body parts."