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Are door knobs allowed on processing rooms?

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Arod

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Posted 29 July 2015 - 04:06 PM

Hello everyone, 

 

We are in construction of a new building and wanted to know if door knobs are allowed on processing rooms?? We are currently building 3 small dry processing rooms and management wants to install regular doors to those rooms. To my understanding and from personal experience swing doors are the most commonly used in food manufacturing.

I have been searching for documents about construction but none seems to site anything about doors besides than "they have to be of study material".

 

Anyone knows about this? Are they allowed??? 

 

Thank you



brianweber

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Posted 29 July 2015 - 06:00 PM

So you open the door on your way in. is there a sink to wash your hands with inside there? Will this be enforced? Personally i would go with swing doors. Eliminates a whole lot of what ifs.


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Arod

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Posted 29 July 2015 - 06:07 PM

Yes Brian,  regular door to enter the production facility then wash hands then enter small rooms ( wooden doors covered with some kind of "plastic" with door knobs) within the big production. There are no hand wash sink on this small rooms.



brianweber

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Posted 29 July 2015 - 06:15 PM

I would say no. If you have to touch an external knob to enter the final destination you can introduce contamination that way.


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Arod

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Posted 29 July 2015 - 06:17 PM

 An yes agree Brian I like swing doors too, unfortunately I just suggest and they decide..I don't like the doors at all, not sanitary to me but I can't find any documents that states what you cannot use them of if used there are higher risks of cross-contamination.



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Posted 29 July 2015 - 07:04 PM

I do not know if there is an actual written requirement for swing doors or allowing the use of door knobs on processing rooms. I would suggest that you explain to management that door knobs would be a source of contamination build up. You would need to assess the level of contamination, what cleaning is needed and then continue to test to determine the frequency of cleaning. This sounds like a lot of swabbing and plating and a significant cost. I would suggest that the door knobs be placed on an operational cleaning schedule. Cleaned every 20 minutes (or maybe every time the door is opened). I bet swing doors would be paid for in a matter of weeks when you cancel the wages to clean a door knob, the cost of testing and that person doing the cleaning could be doing other valuable activities instead (like production or operational sanitation).

 

Swing doors also need to be cleaned if they become contaminated but I would say less likely when employees are aware of how to pass through a swing door. Butt first with clean hands or gloved hands not touching anything.

 

Depending on the product you are manufacturing I would also like to see handwash stations on the inside of the rooms.

 

Hope this helps.



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Arod

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Posted 29 July 2015 - 07:24 PM

Thank you DRL good points!

 

I already explained all about the buildup on doors and possible contamination issues because of them, they justification is: they would be opening the doors with "clean/just washed" hands so it will never get contaminated!! It is hard to explain this things to people with no experience on this subjects... :helpplease:



brianweber

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Posted 29 July 2015 - 08:58 PM

Order some Glo Germ and a black light. Show them that hand washing is not 100% effective.


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Arod

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Posted 29 July 2015 - 09:12 PM

Order some Glo Germ and a black light. Show them that hand washing is not 100% effective.

Brian that is exactly what I need to prove it!!!! Thank you for the sugestion!!



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mamad123

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Posted 30 July 2015 - 05:55 AM

i would say no, use swing door is a must. moreover,using door knob provides new sources of contamination.



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