Glass and Brittle Plastic - Where does this apply?

Hi Everyone,

 

                   We have a GBP register , audited annually in our BRC accredited High Hygiene production/packaging facility . It was set up prior to my arrival , but also includes the Warehouse, which is not part of the High Hygiene area (warehouse staff do not wear hairnets or dedicated shoes and garments like production staff). The hygiene facility is a building within a building, so goods flow in/out via airlocks from the warehouse which surrounds it.

 

Whilst I understand the production environment GBP requirement, should this register/audit extend to the Warehouse? Raw materials and packaging entering production are controlled by PRP procedures to ensure they are contaminant free prior to entry. Previous BRC accredited company I worked for did not cover warehouse, but this was in an adjacent building. We do not cover lunchrooms/changerooms/office and QA Lab(situated as part of offices) in the register.

 

Many thanks in advance.

BRC probably yes....in SQF we don't normally need to worry about the warehouse as much, but frankly there isn't really any glass in there either. I've seen folks on the forum who include forklift lights in their register, I don't but it may come down to an auditor vs. how formal your risk assessment is.

Our company is BRC accredited and we are expected to cover everything, Production areas, Warehouse (Forklift lights and switches included) and offices, changing rooms and tea room. This was a requirement for a customer a few years ago, we asked an auditor if this was over the top but the reply was no. Their thinking was that is something broke in the warehouse / offices fragments could easily be tracked in to production areas on shoes / clothes. 

If your changing procedures are good then you shouldn't have glass tracked in from non factory areas.  But there are glass checks and glass checks.  You can have a once a month check completed by operations that the lights are intact, not hanging down or you could be doing it daily completed by the QA team.  I would say the former is more practical and reasonable for the hazard.  As with everything on BRC, risk assess it.

We are SQF Certified (Ed 7.2 Level 3). Our operation from receiving to shipping is all under 1 roof (appx. 2 sq acres) so we include all areas as raw materials through finished goods could be taken anywhere therein and all areas have overhead lighting which is either glass lamps or brittle plastic covers. We do a monthly walk through audit that covers elements from GMPs through traceability recording to inspection and line clear records checks. The GBP register covers the lenses on forklifts that travel throughout the plant as wee as the backup safety lighting lens covers through all see through guarding on the machines. The register is the tricky part, making sure to cover every possible item but the verification is simple if the register is complete. They have that with them as they cover their assigned areas. Our reasoning was erring on the side of caution and leaving no reason for an auditor to question our assessment.

I know GMP and GHP but what is GBP ? B = Building ?

Just the acronym for Glass and Brittle Plastics

Just the acronym for Glass and Brittle Plastics

 

Thanks. Yet another acronym moment. :doh:

Apologies for the delay in response, I've been away at a customer site visit .

 

Thanks for the reponses , I have a fairly clear picture now. As laborious as it is , I'll stay as is for now until i have time/resource to risk assess our way to a thinned down list.

The initial work is already done if your GBP register is complete, our at least mostly. Figuring out the monitoring is the next step. If you tie it in to an existing internal audit our walkthrough by adding it to a checklist you're compliant.

How often you are doing these walkthroughs? Currentle we are doing one in a month.

Yes, monthly. This monthly walk through covers the categories of: GMPs, Overall building condition (includes Glass and brittle plastic inspection, floor condition etc), Waste removal, Storage and Shipping, Equipment (condition, housekeeping, maintenance etc), Traceability (includes line clear and labeling), Pest control program, and Maintenance. It's in the form of a checklist to indicate compliant or non-compliant, there is a space for each item for explanation if it is non-compliant and a section at the end of the sheet for additional notes and corrective action suggestions from the 2 team members that performed the walk through. We discuss any non-compliant items at the next Food Safety Team meeting to determine disposition and record them on a running spreadsheet that includes tabs for all active items, completed items, surveillance items and a trending tab. Of course all date and signatures are recorded. So far this has satisfied all of the requirements for our internal auditing and trending. At our monthly staff meetings I communicate any high priority items for the record and at the quarterly Management Review meetings we review these sheets as well. This one sheet and walk through satisfies multiple requirements. My goal is to simplify everything as much as possible but still remain in compliance. We scored a 95% last year using such techniques and it streamlines all of the functions making them more cost effective.