12 replies to this topic

[Bob]

Hi,
I have just joined up to this forum and am really intereste in foidning out more about packaging into glass.
I am a brewer by trade and am sitting various exams around brewing operations. I am familiar with the HACCP approach up to the point of packaging but from there I am stuck!
Specifically I am keen to understand more about the risks to operators, the consumer and to equipment that packing into non returnable glass poses.
Any information is most welcome! Thanks in advance.

[Marco]

Hello Bob,

This is the only help I can give now.


Risks to Operators: probably need to be assessed from the H&S point of view. I can only think about cuts or wounds caused by glass chips but I am sure there are more.

Risks to Consumer : I can only think of glass chips inside the bottle

Risks to Equipment: Sorry, I don’t understand this

May I ask to specify a bit more what your concerns are?

I can’t fully understand the link between HACCP and the risk to operator and to equipment.




Regards,

Marco

[Bob]

Hi Thanks Marco for your reply.
Some ideas I have for the groups..
Operators - PPE and workwear, a system for cleaning up breakage 'as you go', noise exposure - we bottle at 30000bottles/hour which exceeds 85dB limit
but i cant think of anything else!
Consumer - I agree glass in bottle and prior to filling we have a rinser (high pressure water and bottles inverted) as the CCP, secondary packaging ie bits of glass inside the packaging case from bottles that may have broken in transit
Equipment - apart from production downtime I cant think of any either!

[Marco]

Hello Bob,

For operators, as you rightly said, once you asses the time/exposure to 85db you can then make a decision on PPE (required or not) or reducing the exposure to the individual exposure to the hazard by rotating staff more often.

secondary packaging ie bits of glass inside the packaging case from bottles that may have broken in transit

Maybe this isn't high risk since the consumer/user can see the broken bottle from the leak.

One more on the Equipment I think it could be worth to put in place a preventative maintenance progam according to manufacturer recommendations and your usage but this falls within the prerequisites.

Regards,
Marco

[Jon5]

A few thoughts. In any plant packaging a pressurized liquid, you run the risk of burst bottles. This may pose a risk to employees, the consumer, and the equipment as well (although your equipment should be capable of handling this sort of issue).

Besides pieces of glass in the bottle or box, other potential risks to the consumer may include damaged bottle finish (can cut the mouth) or any other "critical" glass defect that may pose a hazard, such as a jagged mold seam (extra glass jutting out at the side). Thin areas in the bottle are a risk for breakage. Additionally, if your package has a handle, you may see broken handles or handles with air bubbles in them that break easily.

If you really think about it, microbial spoilage in the bottle can result in exploding bottles in the market. Not a pretty prospect to consider, so watch your sanitation controls.

Hope this helps. Not comprehensive, but these are a few things others haven't noted in their responses. I welcome feedback if you have any.

[Simon]

Thanks for your input and please to see you are able to log in now.

Welcome to the forums Jon.



Regards,
Simon

[Rex]

hi, I think the most important risk is washing machine of the bottle.

[Simon]

hi, I think the most important risk is washing machine of the bottle.

Thanks for your input Rex.

[Tony-C]

I know I am late in replying to this post, sorry but I have only recently joined the network.

As well as the risks everyone has highlighted.
The operators will need to wear safety glasses, have chainmail gloves to deal with broken glass.
There needs to be strict glass breakage procedures to reduce the risk of a bottle with broken glass being filled. Eg Stop line Remove 50 bottles either side of breakage and clear up glass. It pays to have a good quality bottle.
We reused bottles so had a bottle washer. New bottles probably only need to be disinfected.
We also had a scanner that rejected chipped or cracked bottles although it wouldn't pick up glass fragments inside the bottle all the time which is why the breakage procedure was important.

Hope this helps,

Tony

[cazyncymru]

I know I am late in replying to this post, sorry but I have only recently joined the network.

As well as the risks everyone has highlighted.
The operators will need to wear safety glasses, have chainmail gloves to deal with broken glass.
There needs to be strict glass breakage procedures to reduce the risk of a bottle with broken glass being filled. Eg Stop line Remove 50 bottles either side of breakage and clear up glass. It pays to have a good quality bottle.
We reused bottles so had a bottle washer. New bottles probably only need to be disinfected.
We also had a scanner that rejected chipped or cracked bottles although it wouldn't pick up glass fragments inside the bottle all the time which is why the breakage procedure was important.

Hope this helps,

Tony

I agree with Tony
If you're reusing bottles, it is good to have an inline scanner, like an Inex, to check for foreign bodies or dirt adhering to the sides of the bottles. You also need to keep a close eye on carry over of detergents from your bottle washer..last thing you want is a taint in your product.

caz

[Erasmo]

Also,
You have to validate the rinsing method and the removal of certains bottles if an explosion occurs inside the filler.

[Jon5]

Tony:

I haven't heard of operators wearing chain mail in a production environment like this. Do you find that there is deterioration of the gloves over time? It seems to me that this would pose a risk of metal fragments getting into products. Food safety standards that I'm familiar with specifically call out controls around metal in the production environment. Do you have any sort of metal detection in your process?

Thanks in advance for sharing.

Jon

I know I am late in replying to this post, sorry but I have only recently joined the network.

As well as the risks everyone has highlighted.
The operators will need to wear safety glasses, have chainmail gloves to deal with broken glass.
There needs to be strict glass breakage procedures to reduce the risk of a bottle with broken glass being filled. Eg Stop line Remove 50 bottles either side of breakage and clear up glass. It pays to have a good quality bottle.
We reused bottles so had a bottle washer. New bottles probably only need to be disinfected.
We also had a scanner that rejected chipped or cracked bottles although it wouldn't pick up glass fragments inside the bottle all the time which is why the breakage procedure was important.

Hope this helps,

Tony

[Tony-C]

Tony:

I haven't heard of operators wearing chain mail in a production environment like this. Do you find that there is deterioration of the gloves over time? It seems to me that this would pose a risk of metal fragments getting into products. Food safety standards that I'm familiar with specifically call out controls around metal in the production environment. Do you have any sort of metal detection in your process?

Thanks in advance for sharing.

Jon

Hi Jon

Our operators would replace the gloves before they deteriorated to any extent where they would pose a risk of metal contamination. The gloves tend to be very durable though. If it is of concern then you could inspect weekly and replace as necessary. We did not deem metal detection necessary as our system was largely enclosed, the product filtered, the empty bottles covered and it was impossible to get a glove into a bottle accidentally. Also we had never received a complaint of metal from this source nor found any in bottles rejected by the scanners (Which are designed to pick up foreign bodies as well as damaged bottles).

The operators that were wearing chain mail did not tend to work on filling machines but other parts of the production line. Fillers were run empty and rinsed in the event of a breakage.

Please feel free to ask if you have any other concerns.

Regards,

Tony