I first want to say that I have enjoyed reading many of the very interesting questions/answers/comments over the past few years. I have found this site to be an extremely valuable source of information! Thank you!
I am a Quality Audit Coordinator at a large frozen food manufacturing company. We are BRC certified (Grade A) and have a few other audits that come our way as required by some of our specific customers. Yesterday we had a customer audit and an incident came up that has got me to thinking and I would like other opinions on the matter.
Our packaging department's maintenance shop is locked with a code access on the door that is known to only the maintenance personnel. Inside the shop there are two cabinets where the food grade and non-food grade lubricants are kept. When we entered the shop with the auditor the only people in there was the supervisor and maintenance planner. All other employees were in the lunch room on break, with no work being performed in the shop. The auditor wanted to see the lubricant storage cabinets and they were both unlocked, with the locks being kept in the supervisor's office. (I know that most, if not all audits, have an expectation that the cabinets are locked unless a person is retrieving or returning an item. This is not the first time that this has occured, but the supervisor seems to sometimes think the rules apply to everyone else but him. 
) Anyway, when questioned about putting the locks on the cabinets he stated that since the shop itself is locked, that he doesn't feel that he needs to lock the cabinets. My question is: Is he correct? Or should they still have to be locked? 
I am very interested in hearing what people have to say.
Thank you for your time!
