8 replies to this topic

[FoodtechSA1]

Hi everyone, 

 

Our company is FSSC 22000 certified and we manufacture and repack dry foods (seeds and nuts, cereals etc.). We got a finding last year in our audit that we need to check glass and hard plastic in the warehouse and not only check in the production area, which is fair i understand.

 

My problem is that we have a whole lot of hard plastics in our warehouse like hundreds of those small black crates where we store our closed finished products. Do we need to check for absolutely everything that i s hard plastic in the warehouse? it would be fair if we could at least check windows, lights, cleaning equipment, thermometers etc on a monthly basis. 

 

anyone with more experience in this please help!

[Simon]

It should be based on risk assessment.  For example high, medium or low risk of getting broken, due to location, material and activity around it.  And also the severity of the breakage, easy to detect or not, can contaminate product.  Based on this determine whether or not to audit and at what frequency.  For some items you may just have a reporting system only. 

 

So for the small black crates what do you think?

 

Regards,

Simon

[FoodtechSA1]

Thank you Simon. Makes sense. I guess i have to amend the procedure and include that some of the hard plastics (i.e crates, pallet sheets etc) will not be checked on a monthly basis due to their low risk of getting broken and the activity around them. 

[Vinish Vijayan]

Initially you can do risk analysis for the whole area as Mr. Simon have mentioned, based on the assessment identify areas (high, medium, low and not significant) and implement a control measure - daily/weekly for high risk, monthly for low risk. The risk analysis can be updated with new changes and reviewed every year. 

[Iwonaa]

You could do this daily as a part of your preops checks before production runs. Then each supervisor /leader would be responsible for checking his/her area and you would be sure the whole plant is controlled.

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[Scampi]

Also, since you've identified the totes as being a hazard that MAY need to be controlled/monitored........perhaps it's time to begin sourcing alternative that are not brittle.....there are lots of industrial options that are a bit bendy, they may still crack (and need to be replaced) but they won't break

 

For monitoring.........you could implement a check that is done when a tote is filled..........employee put item X into a black bin in area Y.......bin was intact at this time....check

[Ivan Ivanov]

Hi FoodtechSA1,

 

In 10.4 of the standard ISO 22002:1 are written "periodic inspection". 

How Simon arre writen whis could be and is good to be based on risk assessment. But please take into account that this risk assessment should be very good justified. You should be abble to explain and show the criterias based on which you assessed in this way. Its not enough to take only sevirity and possibility. Here is good to use information and from your past. 

The frequency of each checking is based on the risk. Its not written anywere that should be daily, weekly, mothly. But you should be able to explain and justified why. And nevertheless that is not written anywere, the assessment is based on the auditor evaluation. Each standard have special procedure and requirements for the auditors and their competency and they are oblige to evaluate it is enough or not, not only based on the requirements but and based on their experience and knowlage. 

Be prepared good and you will havent problems

Success!

 

Best regards,

Ivan 

[lorlandini]

I agree with Simon.  It should be based on risk assessment.  We are a beverage producer and have lots of glass and brittle plastics.

 

We did a risk assessment of ALL of glass and brittle plastics and ranked the risk.  High risk areas are checked daily.  We then have weekly checks, monthly checks and semi-annual checks.  We then validate that the inspections are being done by visual auditing of the person doing the checks, we then verify the form by reviewing and signing the paperwork.

 

It was a difficult process but now it is a way of life at our plant.

 

Leo

[Ivan Ivanov]

Leo,

 

Good job! Its very good that you are validated and verify this. This show that you are demanded and you confirm by validation that this kind and level of control are suitable for their purpose. This is part of the justification for which i speak. 

Good luck :)

 

Ivan