Validate/Verify Rodent Control Systems?
So I'm writing a validation/verification schedule. I'm stuck when it comes to validating and verifying our rodent control program. How can it be verified to be an efficient program when every now and then we do find rats/mice. Would an auditor accept the system as validated and verified if our weekly records show that the bait traps aren't always empty but overall rodent prevalance is trending downward?
Thank you in advance for your comments!
If there is no evidence of infestation inside the facility and you are showing a downward trend, then I would consider it to be an adequate program.
Without knowing your facility, I can give a few suggestions:
1) Do your trend charts show more activity in certain areas? If so, consider adding additional traps or bait stations to that area.
2) If there is more activity in certain areas, take a good look at those areas from a building construction/harborage/cleanliness standpoint. Correct any deficiencies that may be contributing to pest activity?
3) Where is your facility? Is it located in an area where there would be frequent rodent activity? If so, this is good information to present to the auditor...along with your charts showing decreased rodent activity.
Marshall
All great tips thank you. I take from this that your opinion is that the efficacy of the program will be recognized as a verifiable pre-requisite in the eyes of an auditor then?
The more documentation you present, the better. If you are dealing with the issue in-house, make sure you have the appropriate sighting/incident log, and a plan to deal with the invaders. Also it is good to identify whether it is a casual occurrence or an infestation. If you have a pest control contractor, make sure their IPM programs comply with the standards for pest control and that you are at least aware and in the process of correcting the issue. So if you have documented proof that the rodent sightings are decreasing that's good. But if the auditor finds rodent activity that would suggest other wise, that's not good. It also depends on your risk assessment in your written programs. That seems to be the common answer for many issues from what I've read on here.