Does fitting a strip curtain in a dock door allow it to be left open?

So,

In my never ending battle against poor GMPs I am faced with an unpleasant argument.

I will get straight to it,

Can you install a typical strip curtain in a dock door and then claim that is enough to leave the door open all day long during operations?

I want the door closed. Some argue there is such a continuous need for the door to be open due to the activity level in that area that the solution is to install a strip curtain in that dock door as a solution to keep it open.

I am reaching out again to you professionals to share your knowledge and observation.

Please provide your positive direction.

Thank you,

Plastic Ducky

Get a high speed self closing roll up door with remote control ability.  End of argument.

But...it costs money.

Thank you Ryan M. 

That is what I am talking about !!!

End of conversation type ammo.

Please the rest of you all keep it coming...........and thank you...

PD

Strip curtains will not keep anything like pests out completely and of course from a Food defense standpoint you may not know who enters and comes in even with cameras, not to mention some people entering from there may forget to sign in the visitor log. If your SQF auditor passed by that area and you had it open with strip curtains and during that time there was no actual activity, be prepared to get written up for it. 

IMO, there is no reason that a door should be left open even with a strip curtain. We got an NC on our last SQF audit for having pin needle sized holes showing light through from the outside even though we just had the seals replaced the week prior! This was caused by the diamond pattern on the dock plate that the seal is unable to fully submerge. Needless to say, it was recommended that we place door sweeps on the interior. 

This goes to show that an auditor will in no way say that is acceptable. Does not follow GMP's, Food Defense/Security or Pest Control programs. Inform your team that it is not an option and I agree with the other user saying to install high speed roll up doors if it is such a high traffic area. $$$ 

Are the doors being left open if a trailer is backed into the bay? Or is the door just left open with no trailer in place?

What amount of dock bumper/trailer is not sealed?

There is never going to be a perfect seal of a trailer to a loading dock. Unless you have clouds of flies around the dock, or have hundreds of rodents crawling all over themselves to get in to your facility, I don't see why this is a problem.

There are plenty of bags that can be purchased that cover the "gaps" in the dock plate and the trailer floor.

From a food defense standpoint, if there is a trailer in the hole, backed up against the loading dock, the risk of someone being able to ingress your facility is pretty low.

Strip curtains are fine, but once again it comes down to the use of the loading dock. If there is a trailer in the hole, and the door is open, I'd have no problem with it.

If there are strip curtains on the door, there is no trailer in the hole and the door is open? I'd have a problem with that.

As mentioned, rapid rise doors are great.....but the cost is prohibitive.

Marshall

The strips dont stop a rat or a snake from coming it. It more prevents flying insects. Get a motion roll up door or one that uses a remote. If heat is the problem then get a screen roll up. 

Hi Plastic Ducky,

An elevated dock door?

I would document a risk assessment if you are concerned.

Speed door will still stay open if that's what the workers insist on doing.

Strips are a good temporary solution, especially if there is political support for it. Get the strips then maybe go after the door closing if it's still the highest priority.

Could look and see what percentage of the time the door is open (problem) vs. open with a trailer (no problem).

-Josh Heinrichs

So,

 

In my never ending battle against poor GMPs I am faced with an unpleasant argument.

 

 

I will get straight to it,

 

Can you install a typical strip curtain in a dock door and then claim that is enough to leave the door open all day long during operations?

 

I want the door closed. Some argue there is such a continuous need for the door to be open due to the activity level in that area that the solution is to install a strip curtain in that dock door as a solution to keep it open.

 

I am reaching out again to you professionals to share your knowledge and observation.

 

Please provide your positive direction.

 

 

Thank you,

 

Plastic Ducky

The strip curtain is a temporary pest barrier when you need to have the dock door open.  The dock door should be closed when the dock is not in use.

I would also suggest the high speed roll up door. At my previous company, it was motion censored so it truly only opened as needed.

Agree with  mgourley that this isn't a huge issue unless your pest management monitoring shows that it becomes one, don't get hung up on what might happen if your monitoring doesn't show it happening. Document, show that the strips are a decent barrier, and work with it.

The discussions above regarding high speed doors are also excellent, I'll vouch for those, and the insulating benefits are great. You may be able to substantiate the cost by getting an energyplus kickback for the improvements because of heat/AC/refrigeration loss that comes with slow moving doors or curtains, the manufacturers are ready to provide your plant with some ROI calculations on what you save, especially if it leads to a refrigerated or heated space.

 

 

The discussions above regarding high speed doors are also excellent, I'll vouch for those, and the insulating benefits are great. You may be able to substantiate the cost by getting an energyplus kickback for the improvements because of heat/AC/refrigeration loss that comes with slow moving doors or curtains, the manufacturers are ready to provide your plant with some ROI calculations on what you save, especially if it leads to a refrigerated or heated space.

This point is awesome. I never even thought about that, and would be an excellent way to encourage management to install these.

Agree with Ryan, and that is exactly what we just did for 10 doors.

The strip curtains getting hit with forklifts going 8 mph need to be replaced so often that they are just as cost prohibitive as a roll up door.  Also, Strip curtains without a truck backed in are not an effective pest control measure according to every auditor and consultant I have asked, which is true, if a rodent wants to get in, strip curtains aren't stopping or prohibiting them.