4 replies to this topic

[kfromNE]

Lots of snow + rain + melting = minor flooding   Got to love mother nature.

 

There is minor flooding through a door in our plant due to mother nature (an area roughly 10 ft by 10 ft or 3 meter by 3 meter) . The area is not near where product/raw ingredients are stored. It's in area where we occasionally run a packet machine with low traffic volume. Just so I'm not missing anything for my plan of action.

 

1. Assess the situation - determine if there's a food safety risk

2. Avoid running the packet machine until area can be cleaned/assessed

3. Remove anything in the near area (pallets, etc)

4. Mark the area off to let staff know

5. Clean the area with our floor scrubber (our floor cleaner is a detergent blend)

6. Take floor environmental swabs and yeast/mold air swabs.

7. Continue to monitor the area

 

Thanks. Good luck to anyone else in my situation.

[Scampi]

Your plan sounds great

 

If this will be a yearly occurrence, perhaps invest in inflatable booms to contain the spill...

[SQFconsultant]

excellent plan!

[mariakrawec]

I live in Canada, and deal with your exact situation yearly.  I empathize - you are not alone!    This year has been unusually cold and lots of snow.

 

However - I suggest that if you notice flooding near this door year after year, that even booms to contain the spill will not be enough.  Eventually, through continuous improvement, you have to remove the root cause of the hazard.  I suggest:

Look outside: 

- do you have a downspout coming off of the eaves near the door?  If so, can you move the downspout or put in an exterior drain? (or wet well?)

- does the outside ground grade slope towards the door?  Do you need to re-evaluate your exterior grading?

- how effective are your door weather seals / weather strips?  Why can they not exclude the water from entering the building?

- is the water coming in from an area that is not the door - but from a hole or seepage in the wall / foundation?  If so, are you looking at potential black mould in the wall itself?

- how feasible is it to install a drain or a trench (or at minimum, a wet well) near the door to remove the source of the flooding?

- is there another issue that is leading to your problem?  (e.g. are they piling the road snow somewhere near that side of the building, so when it melts it only has one place to go:  down and into the facility?)

 

That's my two pennies worth - good luck!  :)

[kfromNE]

I live in Canada, and deal with your exact situation yearly.  I empathize - you are not alone!    This year has been unusually cold and lots of snow.

 

However - I suggest that if you notice flooding near this door year after year, that even booms to contain the spill will not be enough.  Eventually, through continuous improvement, you have to remove the root cause of the hazard.  I suggest:

Look outside: 

- do you have a downspout coming off of the eaves near the door?  If so, can you move the downspout or put in an exterior drain? (or wet well?)

- does the outside ground grade slope towards the door?  Do you need to re-evaluate your exterior grading?

- how effective are your door weather seals / weather strips?  Why can they not exclude the water from entering the building?

- is the water coming in from an area that is not the door - but from a hole or seepage in the wall / foundation?  If so, are you looking at potential black mould in the wall itself?

- how feasible is it to install a drain or a trench (or at minimum, a wet well) near the door to remove the source of the flooding?

- is there another issue that is leading to your problem?  (e.g. are they piling the road snow somewhere near that side of the building, so when it melts it only has one place to go:  down and into the facility?)

 

That's my two pennies worth - good luck!  :)

 

Yes thanks for your input. This is the first time in many, many years this has occurred - abnormal heavy late snow fall with rain/melting of said snow (many counties/rivers are in flood warnings). It isn't happening at our other doors along the same side of the building. I haven't assessed the situation from the outside but our maintenance department and plant manager have. I know they have done work to alleviate the problem such as moving the extra snow out and other things like moving dirt, etc. The door in question is at the bottom of a grassy hill with no roads or sidewalks near it.

Edited by KfromIA, 13 March 2019 - 07:51 PM.