Risk of PPE being stored close to the floor
Help! Our little factory has experienced so much growth that we no longer have enough space for our weekly order of work shirts (smocks, or whatever you want to call them) I suggested switching to having the service come out twice weekly. Our plant manager has decided to get a 2 tiered rack instead (it holds more but...). I thought it was a great idea until I saw it. The bottom tier has shirts hanging just inches from the floor. I can logically tell her they will be contaminated either by shoes or by the floor, but I wold like some documentation to back it up. We have a history of going toe to toe and this is something I don't want to argue about. I simply want to tell her we cannot do it and "here's why." I just stopped the maintenance guy in the middle of installation, so I need answers quick!
Any links would help.
I know that things that are supposed to be worn above the waist should not be stored below the waist, but I don't know where to find that information.
Please help!
Thank you!
Hi Polly,
Is there a certification scheme you are with? I guess some specific 'documentation' would be most relevant from a scheme you are with or your national regulatory requirements.
I'm only familiar with BRC which does have a clause (7.4.3) requiring that "cleaned clothes are supplied protected from contamination until use". This is with the laundry service in mind but I'd argue you could potentially say "until use" is the until the point at which the PPE is put on by the operative, so includes the time it is stored on a rack. Being so close to the floor does not sound protected.
I'll have a more extensive google to find supporting text tomorrow when I've got a bit of free time and get back to you if anything comes up.
If the management are against two deliveries per week, would a different storage location on your site be feasible? i.e. a suitable room with shelving, depending on how the shirts come in (bagged?)
We are SQF.
Our facility is moving within a year as space here has gotten really tight. We are bursting at the seems. If we had a room we would be all over it right now.
This was a temporary fix on her part, just one that I can't see working for the months to come. We have agreed to only use the top tier of the rack. It is slightly larger than the hanging rack we had before, unfortunately, probably still not big enough, but it will work for the time being. Thank you for your feedback.
We can't wait to move!
Standard # for SQF eludes me right now, but the requirement is that uniforms can be subject to contamination - being within inches of the floor would be contamination risk.
Until you get something more concrete to back up your argument is there anything to be said for installing the rack onto a pallet or other kind of platform to give yourself a little extra breathing space?
Until you get something more concrete to back up your argument is there anything to be said for installing the rack onto a pallet or other kind of platform to give yourself a little extra breathing space?
Exactly what I was thinking. Any "Maintenance Guy" should be able to lift the rack with a custom install. Pallets or a platform or leg extensions or hang the whole rack on the wall etc.
Another option might be to cover the PPE with plastic and add a kick plate to the rack that prevent shoes or splatter from the floor from reaching the clothing. We have had to add barriers like a kick plate to equipment that had belts that ran very close to the floor.