13 replies to this topic

[MrHillman]

Was told I need a map of glass and brittle plastics. I could make that map, but it would be impossible to read.

Do we really need a map?

[Ehab Nassar]

Hi Mr.Hillman ,

 

Which food safety system you are following , can you share it please

 

Generally what is required "a list or register of items, detailing their location, number, type and condition " , mapping is helping guide but not required in BRC , however I did it in my register.

 

 

BR,

Ehab

[SQFconsultant]

In general companies are to audit their glass and brittle plastic items/locations  - not everyone has a map though.

 

Some simply have a grid with headers: glass - plastic - location

 

List the item - list the location of the item

 

Your grid list can be your audit/inspection form as well.

 

Simple pee-z.

[MrHillman]

We're SQF 8.0

I have a register and do monthly inventories, each item listed gets a pass or fail, or an occasional "repaired". Items are also categorized by location, food contact or non food contact, shatterproof or protected.This seems adequate to me after reading the requirements.

Mapping is possible, but to see an accurate map of a room with.... Clock, outlet cover, and hand sanitizer dispenser all on the same wall, then overlayed with ceiling lights will be difficult to read once it's completed. There's hundreds of items on the list.

Had Costco audit last week, auditor said we need to have a map.

[Marshenko]

100% agree with this.  A map is not required, as long as you have a register that lists all of your items, their location, and a description of what it is.  Maps are always neat if they look clean, but unless you've got extra time on your hands (I'm guessing you don't), then I wouldn't bother.

 

 

In general companies are to audit their glass and brittle plastic items/locations  - not everyone has a map though.

 

Some simply have a grid with headers: glass - plastic - location

 

List the item - list the location of the item

 

Your grid list can be your audit/inspection form as well.

 

Simple pee-z.

[Agrumeambu]

We're SQF 8.0

I have a register and do monthly inventories, each item listed gets a pass or fail, or an occasional "repaired". Items are also categorized by location, food contact or non food contact, shatterproof or protected.This seems adequate to me after reading the requirements.

Mapping is possible, but to see an accurate map of a room with.... Clock, outlet cover, and hand sanitizer dispenser all on the same wall, then overlayed with ceiling lights will be difficult to read once it's completed. There's hundreds of items on the list.

Had Costco audit last week, auditor said we need to have a map.

 

Hello !

 

It might be a requirement from Costco and not from SQF. They have their own addendum where they can ask pretty much what they want (Since it's their own). Map isn't required for SQF, but you might have to find a way to make one for Costco or you could argue with your Costco auditor that the register list split in rooms is sufficient. The list we have is a list of each room and quantity of each item per room. It worked in the past with them, but I am unsure if they changed their addendum since last year.

 

Have a good day !

[Mulan1010]

We were told the same thing, that a map was needed; however, we felt the same as you, that it would not be a feasible tool because it would not be very readable.  We ended up taking pictures of the items that are not common or easy to describe and attached the pictures to the register.  We have not had any issues with it. Note our register is divided by each production area and include a description and location for each item in each room.

[Marshenko]

Still don't know what standard(s) you are being audited under, so it is hard to give a suitable answer.  What does the text of the code say?  That's all an auditor can, and should, audit you against.

[Nikki R]

We kept ours simple, i created a layout in paint and numbered each item. Each item is then listed below with all the little individual bits listed. I have attached a copy of one of the rooms to give you an idea of how we done it. 

 

 

Attached Files

•  Glass Map Example.docx   40.73KB   205 downloads

[Bevsafety]

This is most Definity a COSTCO Addendum requirement:

 

"Sites shall have a glass and brittle plastic map of product zones and areas. The map shall be verified (at a minimum) annually."

 

my interpretation of this is that you need a map that outlines "zones" where's there's high risk/med risk/low risk/ glass plastic and ceramic items. i don't think it's asking for each item to be on a map. that would be completely unreadable as mentioned above.

 

any other thoughts? do you think my interpretation is correct?

 

thanks!

 

[Bichen]

My establishment also got cited for this as a non-conformance last week during our SQF audit.

 

@BevSafety I had implemented your suggestion in 2023 when the new Costco FSE was implemented, outlining a "general" areas where high vs medium risk glass and brittle plastic were , and the auditor indicated that it was not comprehensive enough.  glass 

 

I've taken the suggestion by @NikkiR, and will be developing simple outlines in paint, and will see if this response is accepted by the technical reviewer. 

[G M]

It doesn't say what kind of map.  Plenty of maps aren't proportional or reflective of real world dimensions.

 

https://en.wikipedia.../wiki/Cartogram

 

Cartograms for example can emphasize number of items of interest.

[jfrey123]

If it were me, I would present a map of my facility broken into rooms or area descriptions.  That would correlate to an inventory list in Excel that groups all the plastic/glass items that show all the items in each area.  Bonus points if the list is in "walking order", as in you walk into a room and start walking left and you see each item in the order listed.  This worked well for me the last time I had to manage a glass and brittle plastic inventory of over 400 items.  SQF auditor liked how they could enter a room and find the items in a linear order when they walked my facility.

 

Actually marking each item on a top down view map would be too clustered to be of use in any of my facilities.

[siskos]

I use a map to check the plastic glass and other potentially dangerous meterials in order to make it "stupid simple" for anyone to check it. Helps alot the technicians (at least in Greece) that they want something easy and visually simple complete.

On the other hand no auditor had ever asked me to make one as a strickt system requierement ...