Hi QAGB,
I'm less dogmatic over uniforms because I find over-uniforms a reasonable option to demand/implement for many food situations. But factory hygienic design is something else IMO.
IMEX of a low risk wet food process i think many (all?) of the customers would risk apoplexy at yr second paragraph. Let alone be prepared to do it themselves. In fact it would be legally impossible.
Asssuming you are describing a Food Process rather than Packaging I find that even more (BRC)-remarkable.
(I was half-prepared to expect that BRC Packaging has absorbed certain Packaging "traditions" in respect to a generally, relatively Low Risk Industry (?) [despite the impressively expanded scope of "hazard" in BRC Packaging which is surely pure BRC megalomania]).
I agree that risk assessment can become more like wish-fulfilment. Something else to be laid on BRC ?.
So we can paint walkways and do a risk analysis factoring this as well. they pass through were products is enclosed and not open production zones.
Thank you guys. will try this and when we do Gap Audit see how it goes.
Hi Phillipah,
At this point, you're still working towards certification, and it doesn't hurt to see what your auditor thinks at the Gap Audit. If you have a consultant who can come in and look at your process, they could also help you determine what you need to do. I understand your situation, older buildings like mine (and probably yours) were built in sections and at the time when built, people weren't thinking about process flows and so forth. Perhaps your auditor will be fine with it, and maybe not; but at least you will have time to come up with a different solution after your Gap Audit.
A good portion of my company is wet processing, and our common walkways are closer to the packaging end, where the product is already packed and sealed and being prepared to be put into boxes. I would not be advocating putting a walkway next to a filling operation, or any product that's exposed to the air. That's why I stated it is up to your process and how you setup your walkway. Your product is enclosed near your walkway which should provide justification to your auditor.
As far as legality is concerned, my company falls under two regulatory jurisdictions, and we're BRC Certified. We have customer audits every 2-3 months, and we have plenty of other certifications requiring audits. They all have walked through our facility, we've discussed our flow, and they know where our break room is located. We've never had a problem with the placement of our walkways and it has never been addressed as even a possible concern.
Make sure that you provide justification for your reasoning in the form of a risk analysis, and create a procedure which details your personnel flow.
QAGB