Location of hand washing stations

Check out the requirements of your local council. This generally falls under their site requirements.

Hand basins should be at the entry point of new processes.

Dear esquef,

Sorry if you've mentioned it elsewhere but Product = ?, Process = ?

It can relate.

Rgds / Charles.C

There are no measurements to define how close is close enough. You need to provide reasonable access to handwashing basins. They do not have to be adjacent to the entrance if you can demonstrate control over traffic patterns to ensure that upon entry hands are washed. As with many, many things - the requirements are based on risk. If your product and process are not high risk - you have greater flexibility. If it is high risk - more is expected. For any areas of the SQF code where you are uncertain, I recommend you read the guidance, and develop a fact based risk assessment to defend company decisions that may not be closely aligned with the code. If you can defend your practices you are likely able to pass an audit.

This is a better option and also its a requirement as per cGMP. But ensure the cleanliness and its not creating the opportunity of any cross contamination.

Greetings,

So far as I can determine from reading the SQF 2000 code and guidance documents I don't see any mention of location of hand washing stations. My employer is planning on installing additional stations so that line employees don't have to walk too far in case they need to wash their hands if soiled while they're working. Is anyone aware of any requirements with respect to proximity of a station to in-process or unpackaged finished product?

As always, thanks in advance for your thoughts!
[/quote]

I'd just say use a bit of common sense. First of all praise the operations people who want this in place; after all it's tough sometimes to get people to wash their hands so anything which makes it easier is a good thing. Secondly look at some sink designs. Do they splash? Drip? If so, perhaps chose a different design! Then I'd do a literature search on aerosols from sinks to check how far they go (if that's possible) or ask the advice of the manufacturer. Leave some extra room to the line for error and air movement and then remember drain and bin locations will also have to be away from product areas and preferably the drain should be at the base of a fall in the floor not at a high point then you probably have an answer.

Dear esquef,

Sorry if you've mentioned it elsewhere but Product = ?, Process = ?

It can relate.

Rgds / Charles.C

@ Charles: Products are dry foods (wide variety) and process is blending and packaging.

Thanks for the replies! I think I'm a bit more comfortable with the plans that have been worked up (it's been decided to place the stations just outside the actual processing areas).

Dear esquef,

Obviously only dry foods is a constraint.

From memory, there is another thread here specifically on dry foods discussing analogous problem, ie not wanting too many dripping water lines in the work area. They were inclined to a portable, standalone, unit but storage volume was going to be a headache.

IMEX (wet seafood process, sort of US style), there is always a hand(or glove) sanitising station immediately prior to entering the work area plus additional handwashing/handsanitising units are approx. based on risk analysis. This automatically puts one multiple handwashing set adjacent to toilets plus at other locations where (a) it is likely that hands/gloves will get contaminated (ie high likelihood of occurrence in risk function), (b) where it is (regardless of contamination opportunity) considered absolutely "critical" that hands should not be contaminated (ie high severity of consequences in risk function). for example, (a) = receiving wet raw material, (b) = loading finished product into a freezer.

Rgds / Charles.C

I disagree that only dry foods are constrained by this; rte chilled foods could still be a problem; water aerosols -> increased Aw -> potential listeria issues...

Sorry, I misunderstood. Now I realise what you meant.

I was at a plant this week that had a turnstyle and you had to put your hands into a machine for a sanitisng before you were given the green light and allowed through the turnstyle. A bit off topic I know.

What do others think of these wash systems?

I was at a plant this week that had a turnstyle and you had to put your hands into a machine for a sanitisng before you were given the green light and allowed through the turnstyle. A bit off topic I know.

What do others think of these wash systems?

Hi Simon,

I guess you mean hygienic entrances, there is a picture in my attached file from Diversey.
I saw this kind of entrance in Danish Crown and got an impression that it's a good solution for very crowded factories, were a lot of stuff incl. visitors entering/leaving processing area through the same hygiene chamber and it's difficult to control if all have disinfected hands.

HYGIENIC ENTRANCE1.pdf   60.33KB   94 downloads

Have a nice weekend
Inesa

Dear Inesa,

.docx

No use for the non-rich. Converters are a nuisance.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Simon,

Did the machine have a X-ray warning label ?

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Inesa,

.docx

No use for the non-rich. Converters are a nuisance.

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Charles,
just wanted to show an example picture, I don't know how else to copy it in here from Word doc I have more technical data about this hygienic entrance, but I'm not sure I'm allowed to put it in here as I got information personally from Diversey for exam slides preparation.
Regards
Inesa

Dear All

Irrespective of any statutory and regulatory requirements, its an individual responsibility to keep his hand free of pathogenic organisms. So no matter whether we handle food or not. Ofcourse it has high importance when we handle the food for public. I mean, in a food handling premise. Here are my views

1. Foot operated or senor type hand wash basins are recomended.
2. It should be provided at main entrance of the food preparation/manufacturing unit. ( yes, with sufficient antibacterial liquid detergent and antisceptic solutions)
3. It shouldou be provided in each food handling sections, for example in production, packing, preparations like vegetable/salad preparation units, butchery, toilets etc)

If our hand wash system is proper, we can reduce the use of disposible gloves also. But it should be considered during hazard analysis process and suffcient control measures should be incorporated like swab test to ensure the hygiene conditions of the hand. Becuase most of the manufactures are forcing the employess to use low quality hand gloves and demotivates to dispose at a certain period of intervals. this forced the food handler to continue to use the same gloves even his/her hand sweats while handling food. Such situations are more critical than a DONT USE situation. So its always better to

1. provide hand wash provsions in all sections ( based on sq.m of the section)
2. fix a time schedule of hand wash ( frequency )- irrespective of whter his/her hand contains dust/dirt/foreign matter.
3. Conduct swab test to ensure the effectivness of hand wash and include the score in employee apraisals.

If anybody have more ideas, please share...

Regards
Jomy Abraham

I was at a plant this week that had a turnstyle and you had to put your hands into a machine for a sanitisng before you were given the green light and allowed through the turnstyle. A bit off topic I know.

What do others think of these wash systems?

Dear,
It all depends upon common sense, place u feel they are needed.
Faisal Rafique

Dear All

Irrespective of any statutory and regulatory requirements, its an individual responsibility to keep his hand free of pathogenic organisms. So no matter whether we handle food or not. Ofcourse it has high importance when we handle the food for public. I mean, in a food handling premise. Here are my views

1. Foot operated or senor type hand wash basins are recomended.
2. It should be provided at main entrance of the food preparation/manufacturing unit. ( yes, with sufficient antibacterial liquid detergent and antisceptic solutions)
3. It shouldou be provided in each food handling sections, for example in production, packing, preparations like vegetable/salad preparation units, butchery, toilets etc)

If our hand wash system is proper, we can reduce the use of disposible gloves also. But it should be considered during hazard analysis process and suffcient control measures should be incorporated like swab test to ensure the hygiene conditions of the hand. Becuase most of the manufactures are forcing the employess to use low quality hand gloves and demotivates to dispose at a certain period of intervals. this forced the food handler to continue to use the same gloves even his/her hand sweats while handling food. Such situations are more critical than a DONT USE situation. So its always better to

1. provide hand wash provsions in all sections ( based on sq.m of the section)
2. fix a time schedule of hand wash ( frequency )- irrespective of whter his/her hand contains dust/dirt/foreign matter.
3. Conduct swab test to ensure the effectivness of hand wash and include the score in employee apraisals.

If anybody have more ideas, please share...

Regards
Jomy Abraham

Dear Inesa,

I don't know how else to copy it in here from Word doc

One simple solution is to convert the (.docx) file to a .pdf file, there are many freeware programs which you simply install from the .exe. Then you just open the .docx file, click the "print" function in word and the pdf converter pops up as an alternative printer. Then click ok.

eg http://www.dopdf.com/

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear Inesa,



One simple solution is to convert the (.docx) file to a .pdf file, there are many freeware programs which you simply install from the .exe. Then you just open the .docx file, click the "print" function in word and the pdf converter pops up as an alternative printer. Then click ok.

eg http://www.dopdf.com/

Rgds / Charles.C

Ok, now I understand what did you mean I know how to convert to pdf, thank you