3 replies to this topic

[Don]

We are a corrugated box manufacturer trying to achieve Category A accrediation to the BRC/IOP Technical Standard. Section 6.1.4 requires a documented policy for the use of sharps. Do we need to have a listing of master knives and a blade control log to satisfy Category A requirements or will a more general policy sufice?



Thanks

Don.

[Simon]

Hi Don,

Requirements:

6.1.4. There shall be a documented policy for the control of the use of "sharps".

6.1.6 Snap-off blade knives shall not be used.

Taken literally these are the only two requirements for the control of blade/sharps/knives for you as a Category A manufacturer and if you comply we these you will be a step closer to the badge. And we all know they could be achieved with a piece of paper in a manual and maybe a slight change of knife purchasing.

Policy is a bit airy-fairy and policies need to be backed up by systems of some sort and education to ensure that the policy is deployed and implemented effectively.

If you wanted to be proactive:

- Do not allow operators to bring in their own knives
- Specify the type of knives to be used (don't forget to sample the operators first)
- Provide knives to relevant personnel
- Do not allow operators to take their knives home
- Keep a list of who has a knife, what type and when they were issued with it
- Provide sharps bins for blade disposal
- Provide some training or at least an explanation of the requirements to operators
- Add to GMP Audits (Are their any blades/knives lying about? Any uncontrolled knives?)
- Purely from an H & S point of view you wouldn't want sharp objects left lying around on machinery or equipment.

Maybe rather than issuing knives to operators you could have a stock that were booked out and in at the start and end of the shift. Other sharps such as on machines would at least need to be accounted for and handled and disposed of safely.

Hope this helps,

Simon

[Ana_B]

Our company has been certified according to the BRC packaging standards for several years and after receiving non-conformities due to this specific point, for some time we have identified all the sharp and pointed objects that are in the manufacturing areas: number, type, who has them and how many they have, what machine they are on, what state they are in ...

 

Operators keep a daily record of the sharp objects they work with and we regularly check these objects. They also have specific containers for disposal.

 

In addition, if they need this type of tool, they must turn to their manager to provide it, being totally forbidden to bring them on their own. Since we did this we haven't  received any non-conformities at this point.

[Charles.C]

Our company has been certified according to the BRC packaging standards for several years and after receiving non-conformities due to this specific point, for some time we have identified all the sharp and pointed objects that are in the manufacturing areas: number, type, who has them and how many they have, what machine they are on, what state they are in ...

 

Operators keep a daily record of the sharp objects they work with and we regularly check these objects. They also have specific containers for disposal.

 

In addition, if they need this type of tool, they must turn to their manager to provide it, being totally forbidden to bring them on their own. Since we did this we haven't  received any non-conformities at this point.

Hi Ana,

 

Thanks and my compliments to your locating a thread all the way back to 2003.