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BRC New premises, organisation of toilets and changing facilities

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Livan

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Posted 13 December 2017 - 08:40 AM

Hi All

 

We would appreciate someone's help on the following:

 

The BRC site, does it have to have:

 

- separate toilets for visitors and staff?

- separate wardrobe rooms for visitors and staff?

- can the same staff wardrobe rooms be used by staff in production and staff in high-care areas? 

 

Thank you!

Livan 



BirchC

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Posted 13 December 2017 - 02:55 PM

Hello,

 

I do not believe that you would need separate toilets or changing areas for visitors and staff, both visitors and staff must follow the same procedures of hygiene anyway.

 

Also, if you are operating a high-care and low-care area then i would guess that you would also have two sets of PPE? 

 

4.8.5 in the BRC standard states: 

 

Where an operation includes a high-care area, personnel shall enter via a specially designated changing facility with arrangements to ensure that protective clothing will not be contaminated before entry to the high-care area. This shall incorporate the following requirements:

 

·         Clear instructions for the order of changing into and out of dedicated protective clothes to prevent the contamination of clean clothing.

·         Site-provided footwear shall not be worn outside the factory.

·         Protective clothing shall be visually distinctive from that worn in lower risk areas and shall not be worn outside of the high-care area.

·         Hand-washing during the changing procedure shall be incorporated to prevent contamination of the clean protective clothing.

·         On entry to high-care areas, hand-washing and disinfection shall be provided and used.

 

There shall be an effective control of footwear to prevent the introduction of pathogens into high-care areas. This may be by a controlled change of footwear before entering the area or by the use of controlled and managed boot-wash facilities.

 

I hope this helps.

 

Kind regards,

 

Chad



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Livan

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Posted 14 December 2017 - 11:52 AM

Dear Chad

 

That is helpful thank you very much. 

Since you are knowledgeable in this topic, I hope you don't mind helping again. The topic is:

 

High-care area

So far, with the help of different BRC guidelines I have managed to understand the difference between high-care and high-risk areas. However, not many explain this is a practical way. I came to a conclusion that I don't need high-risk area. Not so sure about high-care.

We would produce preserved vegetables and antipasti. This would include:

- cleaning the vegetables (from farms)

- washing and sorting

- filling with cheeses (requires high hygiene), and

- preserving - the product is already closed in packaging by this point so I guess it could leave high-care area (if in existence) to go to another room for preservation. 

 

Any suggestions? Do any of the above rings "high-care" area? 

 

 

Thanks. 

Livan



BirchC

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Posted 14 December 2017 - 12:02 PM

Hello Livan,

 

That's good to hear.

 

This is getting a little bit out of my experience.

 

I believe that a basic definition of high-care is if your finished product is ready to eat. Your area of washing all the way to packing would be considered high-care. If the packaging is sealed then I would guess that this is then low care?

 

Cleaning vegetables is difficult to place as it would depend on whether the products are washed for the purpose of the removal of contaminants such as insects and mud or for the reduction of chemicals or micro levels. 

 

Kind regards,

 

Chad.



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Livan

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Posted 14 December 2017 - 12:23 PM

Hi Chad

 

"a basic definition of high-care is if your finished product is ready to eat." THANK YOU FOR THIS!!! 

​I will go back to my BRC reading list looking for the next thing to struggle with :) 

In meanwhile, if you have or come across helpful literature / case-study regarding: "building BRC factory from scratch", or "suggestion of floor flow plans" please post the links here. 

 

Thank you again for all your help. 

Livan 



GMO

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Posted 02 January 2018 - 12:21 PM

Hi Livan,

 

whether your area is high care or not will depend on the nature of the "preserving" step.  If that post pack pasteurisation of the product (e.g. putting into a retort), then it's probably low risk.  If that preserving step isn't a kill step then it probably will be.

 

High care is where you are making a ready to eat product which can support the growth of micro-organisms but not all components going into that area have received a 70 degrees / 2 min (or equivalent) heat treatment.  High risk is very similar but that's where the ingredients have all received that heat treatment.

 

In answer to your questions.  If you are high care:

 

The BRC site, does it have to have:

 

- separate toilets for visitors and staff? - No not necessary

- separate wardrobe rooms for visitors and staff? - No not necessary

- can the same staff wardrobe rooms be used by staff in production and staff in high-care areas? - Probably no but it depends on what your changing areas are like.  For high care the footwear and clothing should be captive to the area but if you're talking about areas where they just store outdoor clothes before getting to the high care barrier then that's fine.





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