6 replies to this topic

[gmd]

Hello everyone! I am new to the site, but I have been  reading everyone's questions and comments and it is so awesome.

 

We are just being introduced to Issue 4 and I  don't know where to begin. Can someone give me some pointers?  

 

One of my questions is what determines if there needs to be a work instruction for a task? The products we make are for food packaging. So would I need a work instruction for unloading a tanker? How to determine what silo to hook up to?

 

I am just really confused on where to start.

 

Help please!

 

[Charles.C]

Dear gmd,

 

Welcome to the forum!

 

I presume you are referring to BRC Packaging, ver4, low/high (?) risk ? I also presume you are in some kind of QA function.

 

Any suggestions will probably be more relevant if you can add a little background data, eg -

 

(a) an idea of the type of product / process involved.

 

(b) Any related standards already certified to (i guess not) / technical backup (eg haccp experience) ?

 

(c) any time frame to acquire certification ?

 

A typical procedure is to initially do a GAP analysis with respect to intended standard's requirements. This enables some kind of scheduling to be considered, hopefully within the answer to (c).

 

And depending on answers to above queries, a consultant / training course(s) is often recommended but this is not mandatory, especially if you have an established safety / management system in place.

 

A brief answer to the specific query in yr post is "it depends".

 

Rgds / Charles.C

[gmd]

Thank you Charles and you are correct in I should have given more info. I will try and fill in some of those gaps. Yes I was referring to the BRC Issue 4 packaging -  high risk. I am the quality manager and I have had BRC training through NSF and I have also had HACCP Training. We manufacture cups, plates, lids mainly using a thermoforming process. We do have an established safety / management system in place but yet aways from being good enough for BRC.

 

I would appreciate any help I could get. 

 

gmd

[Charles.C]

Dear gmd,

 

Thks for clarification.

 

I am primarily concerned with food so packaging people here will probably give a more relevant response.

 

I am unsure what the context is for yr query regarding work function. Do you mean as for the generation of a quality manual, or for some specific paragraph (?) in the brc4 standard.

 

For food/quality manual, the typical answer to yr query would be to follow a kind of iso9001 quality triangle style, ie policy/procedure/work function. But it's a free choice as long as the result is compliant to the standard. The required depth of description detail IMEX relates to someone else being able to understand the procedure / any specific safety aspects involved. For example receiving a container load of frozen raw material for unloading and transfer into a cold store prior to subsequent processing would be adequate to describe the overall procedure. Measurement of product temperature  before acceptance would be another sentence step whose sub-methodology (eg sampling/measurement) would be typically covered in a work function. Some people might equally include it in the "Procedure" though. It's just a choice.

 

Sorry if i hv misunderstood yr query.

 

Rgds Charles.C

[Tony-C]

Hello everyone! I am new to the site, but I have been  reading everyone's questions and comments and it is so awesome.

 

We are just being introduced to Issue 4 and I  don't know where to begin. Can someone give me some pointers?  

 

One of my questions is what determines if there needs to be a work instruction for a task? The products we make are for food packaging. So would I need a work instruction for unloading a tanker? How to determine what silo to hook up to?

 

I am just really confused on where to start.

 

Help please!

 

I presume that you have a copy of the BRC/IOP Global Standard for Packaging and Packaging Materials – Issue 4

 

Documented Work Instructions or Procedures will be required for those tasks that can affect compliance with customer, food safety, quality or regulatory requirements.

 

Regards,

 

Tony

[gmd]

Thanks to both of you for your help. This does help me and yes I do have a copy of the standard. 

 

Thanks, gmd

[cazyncymru]

First thing I'd do is a gap analysis.

 

Take each clause and document if you meet it or not, and what you'd need to do to meet it (if you don't)

 

Gives you a good starting point, and I bet you probably do more than you think!

 

Cazx