Control of doors at production areas

I have been a member for almost a year, and I usually found the answer to my doubts in the forums, but this time I couldn't. I'm the Technical Manager in a Low Risk facility, which ripen and pack bananas. My Manager and the Head of Maintenance want to make one door that connects to the QC office (which is directly connected to the production areas) available for "senior" manager to use to talk to the QC team. I don't want that door to be used, because now is the senior managers, but in a while it will be everyone. I need to prove why they shouldn't use this door. I already thought of:

- hand wash procedure. Their reply: there is a skin in the QC office with hot water

- no PPE. Their reply: we keep a hi-viz and baseball cup in the office (which I don't agree either)

So what else can I say to make them not to use that door?Site Layout main building.pdf   280.64KB   150 downloads

Tell them truth - you don't want your office to become a hallway, and senior management has to follow all of the rules other employees do, or employees won't respect the rules, if indeed you have a current rule not to use it.

Or let them know you'll need to be accessing the Cleaner's office regularly  to review sanitation and chemical inventory, so you will be using their office as a hallway, as will many of your techs and the production employees you need to retrain on chemical safety.

I don't know what kind of footwear control you have to enter the factory, but if you can get to production following GMP's (Hairnet, PPE, handwashing) they should be able to as well. 

BTW - My god, your factory lay out is amazing.  It's straight and long and there's a beautiful flow.  I'm just so jealous of the separation of functions. 

What is the food safety risk of them using the door?

I guess they don't want to take the time to get 'gowned up', so you have to justify it based on risk assessment.
 

If there is no risk then you cannot justify it and then the question is are the hygiene control really necessary in this area.

Well there's "Only authorized Personnel Only" What does that mean? Do they have the proper training in case some chemical does spill on them HAZCOM? Do they have the proper training for them to know what to do if glass were to break and they walk through it? Are you dealing with pathogens Cross Contamination? I would make an impossible test for them to pass like the test in the Spanish Inquisition, if you weigh less than this Bible you can pass or such as the right to vote "literacy" test given back in the 1960's in Louisiana:

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I had this problem at one of the companies I use to work at. My lab was used as a straight shortcut to get to a certain room in production. It became a high traffic area. This does disrupt a lot, and it may become a human safety issue for you depending on the amount of people and movement you have in your lab. I did not care for it.

Make sure that lab door is self-closing. You can get a non-conformance for the lab door being propped open or if everyone has access. Just put 10 deadbolts.

Dear barbara serra,

I assume you mean that the QC office represents a potential short-cut between the "others"  office and the Production Area.?

I can suggest one pre-emptive possibility but maybe with some inconvenience for yourself.

In some locations/products, regardless of area risk status, a direct connection between QC office and Production area is strictly forbidden unless there is a preliminary, non-shallow, non- jumpable, non-edgeable, boot-wash stage in the floor. The reason is cross-contamination. I deduce from yr map that you presently do not have such.

IMEX, invoking such an indubitably hygienic manouevre would effectively deter any random "others" from using such shortcut opportunities.

On the other hand, if the above justification is not considered reasonable, then Simon's post seems accurate to me.

IMO the introduction of the contentious door was illogical in the first place, QC offices are normally recommended to be isolated units (risk of Eureka + explosion?? :smile: )(this offers another possible pre-emptive labelling  deterrent but only helpful if no QC > Sales traffic is of [romantic?] interest).

Rgds / Charles.C

Dear barbara,

is your production area have higher hygiene zone than QC office? if yes, you can argue to make QC office as well as Production area in level of hygiene

rgds

AS Nur

Thank you all for your comments.

I do believe Simon is right I will have to do a risk assessment and then show the reasons why they should not use that door.

Thank you Magenta-majors for your comment, yes the layout is very good ... compliance with procedures it is another story.

As Nur the level of Hygiene is equal in all production areas.

Well, I will try my best.

Barbara Serra

I do believe Simon is right I will have to do a risk assessment and then show the reasons why they should not use that door.

 

Ha ha, it's nice to be right for once Barbara. 

Please feel free to show us your risk assessment when you have it.

Dear Barbara Serra,

As Nur the level of Hygiene is equal in all production areas.

With all respect, If you equate Hygiene to Risk Control, this is rather unlikely.

But perhaps you meant that the Hygiene is good in all areas. all the more reason not to spoil it. :smile:

Rgds Charles.C

Is there any possibility of having a system where only senior manager or managers will have access through those shortcut doors? Perhaps the senior manager would be the only person with the keys through the shortcut door and the personnel in the QC department need not worry about others walking through whenever they wish too. So when the senior manager needs to talk with the QC team, he can pull out his keys.  The maintenance team can help choose a one way locking system for you.  Just might be cumbersome for the senior manager.