Low risk production zoning ready to cook products

I was wondering if anyone can provide some guidance on low risk ready to cook production area.

We have risk assessed our production zone as low risk. We have an elaborate changing procedure where staff wear mob caps, overalls and wellington boots before they enter the production area. However, when staff take waste out they remove the white overalls but walk out into the yard with their wellington boots and back inside their production areas. I have just joined this business and come from high care / high risk production background, so this is a bit of a shocker to me. The site has BRC as well.

Is this acceptable for staff to walk in and out of their areas where products are made.

Thanks

I was wondering if anyone can provide some guidance on low risk ready to cook production area.

We have risk assessed our production zone as low risk. We have an elaborate changing procedure where staff wear mob caps, overalls and wellington boots before they enter the production area. However, when staff take waste out they remove the white overalls but walk out into the yard with their wellington boots and back inside their production areas. I have just joined this business and come from high care / high risk production background, so this is a bit of a shocker to me. The site has BRC as well.

Is this acceptable for staff to walk in and out of their areas where products are made.

Thanks

 

Hi Rachu,

 

In Principle you are correct that the event you describe depicts a potential contamination route.

 

It's exact implications  perhaps need more context to evaluate, eg

 

Product type = ?

Process = ?

Incoming employee hygiene controls = ?

 

IMEX,  BRC do have some (risk-based!) flexibility for a low haccp-risk product as compared to the opposite but only "up to a point".

This may sound a silly question and pardon my scepticism, but does your risk assessment and policy allow for the staff to walk in-out of the facility in their PPE? It crosses my mind that - especially if you are new to the site - could it be a question of the staff are simply not following existing procedure that may require them to change/clean boots on exit/entry?

 

If this is not the case, you could re-assess the risk assessment and procedure. IIRC BRC only requires high risk areas to have designated footwear that "shall not be worn outside the factory". Even so, I'm interested to know how contamination including pest, allergens are not a risk without changing or at least cleaning of footwear. Though without further information of your process as noted above by Charles it would be difficult to advise without speculation.

My site has a low risk section, part of which is accessible to a storage area which is also accessible from outside. When low risk staff are entering this area and when re-entering the production area, they are required to change PPE, wash hands, and wash their willies with a small automatic welly wash which has brushes the boots and applies sanitiser.

Thanks Charles for your reply

 

Product type = Ready to cook Dumplings (veg, chicken (raw), cooked pork etc.)

Process  = fillings for the dumplings are prepared on site and then filled into the dumplings, blast frozen and packed

Incoming employee hygiene controls =  before staff commence work they wear wellington boots, mob caps, overalls and wash hands before entering area of work (Low risk Production areas) . But when they go out to dispose waste, they remove the overalls only. they walk out into the yard with their wellington boots and mob caps. Come back in, sanitise their hands, and wear their overalls and enter production area to wash their hands. 

 

I hope this gives some clarity 

 

thanks again 

Thanks Charles for your reply

 

Product type = Ready to cook Dumplings (veg, chicken (raw), cooked pork etc.)

Process  = fillings for the dumplings are prepared on site and then filled into the dumplings, blast frozen and packed

Incoming employee hygiene controls =  before staff commence work they wear wellington boots, mob caps, overalls and wash hands before entering area of work (Low risk Production areas) . But when they go out to dispose waste, they remove the overalls only. they walk out into the yard with their wellington boots and mob caps. Come back in, sanitise their hands, and wear their overalls and enter production area to wash their hands. 

 

I hope this gives some clarity 

 

thanks again 

 

Hi Rachu,

 

Thanks for details.

 

i deduce from above there is no boot-wash/cleaning stage prior entering production area. In my raw  (seafood) experience this is mandatory, with/without boot changes.

 

Accordingly I would have anticipated BRC etc to surely have a problem.

 

 

hi charles,

 

Surely BRC hasnt had any issues for the past 4 years :( and I am surprised by that. 

 

 

the site keeps telling me they have looked at all possible options and have failed to come up with a solution. they have tried shoe covers but is not operationally feasible as goods on pallet are bought in through the same door. 

 

thanks for your input 

Would there be room for something like this:

https://www.syspal.c...oot-washer.html

 

Also I'd recommend putting a small hairnet/snood holder on the wall to put fresh ones on before re-entering the production area.

 

Alternatively, do the production staff need to go outside to take out the waste? Is there another feasible way of doing it i.e. a designated person already based outside collecting the waste from a segregated area?

Thanks for the link.

There is no space to put a boot-washer in the area. I will look into this further.

I was thinking of restricting production staff from taking the waste out and have staff working in external areas to do this task but have to look into the operational feasibility of this. I have been with the company for 4 weeks so still learning. Thank you for the feedback.

Thanks for the link.

There is no space to put a boot-washer in the area. I will look into this further.

I was thinking of restricting production staff from taking the waste out and have staff working in external areas to do this task but have to look into the operational feasibility of this. I have been with the company for 4 weeks so still learning. Thank you for the feedback.

 

It sounds like you have been fortunate with yr auditors.

 

The most elementary low-tech solution option is to simply create a boot-dip bath within the path prior to Production area/appropriate entry points.  A similar concept to swimming pools. Almost standard in the seafood business. Minimal investment.

This might be the perfect spot for a dry quat option for sanitizing footwear.

https://envirotech.c...ct/floor-guard/

 

I've worked in RTC, zero boot washes and employees could wear boots outside, but not hairnets

Can you put a boot wash where the staff enter the facility from the yard?

 

-Josh Heinrichs

 

 

 

I was wondering if anyone can provide some guidance on low risk ready to cook production area.

We have risk assessed our production zone as low risk. We have an elaborate changing procedure where staff wear mob caps, overalls and wellington boots before they enter the production area. However, when staff take waste out they remove the white overalls but walk out into the yard with their wellington boots and back inside their production areas. I have just joined this business and come from high care / high risk production background, so this is a bit of a shocker to me. The site has BRC as well.

Is this acceptable for staff to walk in and out of their areas where products are made.

Thanks

Whether BRC or SQF - not acceptable procedure.