8 replies to this topic

[karlieh]

Hello,

 

Does anyone know how picky an auditor will be when it comes to dust in the manufacturing plant?

We have rows upon rows of shelving with plastic boxes on them. The product in the boxes are not related to food grade, but the outside of the boxes are dusty as we do not use them.

Will this be something the auditor will notice and deduct points for?

Should this be apart of the regular cleaning schedule, to dust the boxes?

 

Thanks for the help!

[Victor Garza]

Any competent auditor should be able to identify conditions that pose a food safety risk. Excessive accumulation of dust can be attributed to a poorly executed Master Cleaning Schedule. I would be asking to see your cleaning frequencies for that particular area and would dive deeper on other cleaning tasks to identify if the same condition holds true. You might want to prepare a risk assessment that addresses whether excessive dust in that particular area poses a risk to the products produced at your site.


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[SQFconsultant]

It is not a matter of an Auditor being "picky".

 

It is dusty or it is not.

 

So, in answer to your questions...

 

" Will this be something the auditor will notice and deduct points for?

Should this be apart of the regular cleaning schedule, to dust the boxes? " 

 

Yes/Yes

[The Food Scientist]

Does the dust cause any significant risk to food & food contact packaging safety? Questions like that you need to answer. If yes, then you should clean them. 

[Juribe]

Clean the dusty areas. Why risk the non-conformity when you can prevent it from occurring? Plus you will rest easier not having the possibility of losing points in the back of your head.

[boohblake]

Hi,

 

We experienced an auditor who touched all the counters and overhead closets with his finger tips to check if there was dust. He gave us a non-compliance during the because the overhead counters were slightly dusty. It depends on the Auditor who will go to your plant, but be prepared all the time for any surprises the Auditor will look for.

 

Thank you,

Booh

[SQFconsultant]

On the subject of picky - frankly, I want my Auditor to be picky, the more the better in fact - because to me, if he/she finds stuff, it is something that should have been taken care of already by my myself and staff.

 

I really don't want for the Auditor to pick things apart, but if they do it means I need to do a much better job.

 

Years ago I worked for a hotel franchise company as a QA Inspector, there was a team of 20 people that criss-crossed the earth (mostly US and Canada though) and we carried sets of mirrors, micro cassette recorders, hidden cameras, paint brushes -- all to inspect the facility and rooms, we were frontline for the guest so they could have a wonderful stay and we were a picky bunch indeed - using brushes to brush dust from the pleated lamp shades, dental mirrors to check the inside rims of toilets, black lights to ensure glassware was not being cleaned with the same towel that cleaned the toilet, long stick pinchers to check ice machines, pop lock devices to check door lock security and mouth debris detectors to check inside the mouthpieces on phones.

 

Yup, picky - do you really want anything less than a picky Auditor inspecting the food facility that your own food comes out of?

[Hoosiersmoker]

Our auditors have equated it thusly: If I find an area that has accumulated dirt / dust, it raises a question or doubt that your master cleaning schedule is complete and overall effective. If you dust these areas 1once or twice a year it follows that there will be no "accumulation" and that it is specifically addressed. The risk assessment should point you to the frequency. What is the risk (if any), what are the potential risks as a result of the dust and how frequently could it be a problem? If the risk is extremely low it doesn't point to not dusting, it just shows the frequency doesn't have to be often. I'd do the RA and start at quarterly. If you get to the third month and there's not an accumulation of dust, clean and then change it to 6 months. Check it then and see where you are. the frequency is up to you but you have to be able to verify it's getting done and it's adequate for food safety purposes.

[DE Tech]

If there's a build up of dust that cant obviously be attributed to the day in questions goings on it immediately suggests you are not cleaning to an adequate frequency.