7 replies to this topic

[zakholy]

Hi all
We are using the (Visitor or Contractor GMP agreement) to sign in and return to us, my question is we have some visitors or contractors are coming every week or every month should they sign the GMP agreement each time they are here or since they are here every month they need to sign only one time.
Thanks all.

[Bawdy]

Hi Zakholy,

At my work we only get the contractor to sign the GMP agreement once, at the first visit.To get them to do it every visit is too onerous, and too hard to administrate, particulalry if they are only there for a quick visit, (i.e the pest controller to replace a gas cannister).

We keep this on file should any auditor or other wish to verify that the contractor has been suitably trained. We then refresh the training/agreement every 1- 2 years or so to ensure that they are still up to date with our requirements or whenever there has been a significant change to our process that may impact upon how they do their roles on site.

If the contractor needs to go inside any of the production or food/packaging storage areas then ask that they sign in on your visitors log, this way you can track who has come onto site. This should be spelt out to them in your GMP agreement anyway.

hope that helps.
Paul.

[Charles.C]

Dear Bawdy,

Welcome to the forum !

Seems to me that you hv implicitly decided that the (safety) risk of allowing arbitrary people to roam around yr production area is either the responsibility of the contractor or simply not significant. I disagree, and I suspect yr insurance company might also.

IMEX, many companies define/include the basic safety expectations of visitors within an obligatory visitor's (signed) document itself, including health declarations.

Rgds / Charles.C

[D-D]

I ask that visitors/contractors agree and sign the visitor rules each time they come in but for regular ones (e.g. pest control, some drivers) I send them our security and hygiene procedures and have them read through them and sign a training record. I also ask that the hosts of visitors/contractors consider this as a need on a case by case basis.

[Dr Ajay Shah]

I would recommend having the Visitor / Contractor Policy placed at the reception area near the visitor / contractor signing in book, and all visitors must read and adhere to the rules posted. This should meet all your requirements including Products and Public Liability Insurance.

Edited by Dr Ajay Shah, 11 August 2011 - 01:16 PM.

[Jens Therkelsen]

I think the question is quite complex. Because first of all you need to address the question “who shall have access to the production areas”. When this question has been analysed you need to risk asses….

In my opinion is it not enough just to have a formal statement that visitors and contractors must read and sign. You need to be absolutely sure that they know and understand what they must comply with. How do you do this? By training the guests orally in you demands. It is quiet easy with a regular visitor ( any illnesses, don’t touch products and so on) it is much more difficult with contactors because they often come in close contact with the production equipment and your products. These contractors are often very skilled technicians that knows a lot about a certain machine but nothing about food safety. You therefore need to ensure that they know your demands regarding things (besides hygiene) like glass/hard plastic policy, NSF approve oils and so on.

I know this work is tedious but we train our staff in these topics so why not the contractors? Certainly contractors that visit your premises frequently must be trained in your demands – and updated at the same interval as your own staff.


Regards

Jens

[Bawdy]

Hi Charles,

Thank you for the welcome. I can see why, upon re-reading my reply why you would think we let contractors just wander around on site. I can assure this is not easy to do here. We have security gates to get onto the property which require wipe cards to access, so visitor/contracters must buzz the reception desk to be allowed access, similarly to get into the factory itself, you need a swipe card. We also have security cameras through out so we can see who is in the plant at any one time.

To gain access to the factory, the visitor must sign on in the visitors book, then the company rep will meet them, and show them to the work area. The company rep has the right of access via the swipe card and it is part of their responsibilty to ensure the contractor is compliant with the GMP. The GMP given to contracters is a little more comprehensive than just a simple do not sneeze onthe products etc. A list of approved contractors is kept at the reception desk so that the company rep can check that the visitor has been given the GMP drill, if not then they can run through it before they let them into the site.

The original question though was around the requirement to get the contractor to sign the GMP form at every visit, how you deal with or control the contractor once on site is a different matter, and should be based upon the role they are required to do, and the risk it poses. The metal detector repair guy needs a more tighter management than the mechanic who is repairing the broken tractor out in the field. Once trained/inducted, i do not see the need to re-induct at every visit. They should be refreshed aspart of the ongoing training program of course.

Paul.

[Charles.C]

Dear Bawdy,

Thks for the clarification. In truth, the basic theory is simple, the implementation can be a perpetual headache depending on the factory layout, frequency of repairs, nonchalance etc.

One (obvious) comment - it is difficult to pre-approve someone's health status, (albeit that the typical questions tend to guarantee an equivalent response).

A lot of companies minimise the risk for "pure" visitors via isolated "observation" windows of course which conveniently ensures security as a bonus.

Bosses' mates can be another pain-in-the etc, as well demonstrated in many previous threads here.

Rgds / Charles.C