BRC/HACCP - Wooden Equipment in production

Hi

We are a very small Thermoforming company, that supplies packaging to food and non-food companies.

The BRC recommends that wooden equpment is removed from the production area. Part of the thermoforming process involves cutting. Our cutters are metal set into a plywood base. Does anyone know if this is acceptble? or is there anotherway?

I would also like to thank Simon for this site, its really helpful. When we decided to go for BRC accreditation, and then saw the standards book, all the paper work seemed a nightmare, but this site has been really useful in putting it all together, and it would have taken me so much longer without it! Now we need to put it into practice, so this is just the first question of many more to come no doubt.

A Great big thank you.

Our cutters are metal set into a plywood base. Does anyone know if this is acceptble? or is there anotherway?

I presume your certification is to the BRC/IOP standard for packaging ? If so then the reccomendation for removal of wooden items is 'if practicable'. If there is a sound reason why the cutters have to be mounted on wood and there is no easy alternative (eg plastic) then the wood is an unavoidable part of your process and your focus should shift to the impact it could have on the safety of your product.

You should of course include them in your HACCP and if any required controls are properly implemented and the condition is monitored then they would almost certainly be acceptable to an auditor.

Hope this is of some use.

We are a very small Thermoforming company, that supplies packaging to food and non-food companies. The BRC recommends that wooden equipment is removed from the production area. Part of the thermoforming process involves cutting. Our cutters are metal set into a plywood base. Does anyone know if this is acceptable? or is there another way?

The only thing I would add to Martin's good advice is you could consider including the monitoring of the condition of the plywood base as part of the job set up or at the end of the job before putting the tool away.

I would also like to thank Simon for this site, its really helpful. When we decided to go for BRC accreditation, and then saw the standards book, all the paper work seemed a nightmare, but this site has been really useful in putting it all together, and it would have taken me so much longer without it! Now we need to put it into practice, so this is just the first question of many more to come no doubt.

A Great big thank you.

Thank you so much for the positive feedback; feel free to ask away.

Regards,
Simon

Thanks very much, I have included it in my HACCP.

Thanks very much, I have included it in my HACCP.

We have metal blades inserted into wooden base units for die cutting and have inserted the following into our section 3 HACCP System of our quality manual (with evidence):

Under section 3.2 of the BRC/IoP standard the following are excluded from the hazard analysis system:

Wooden formes

Reason: No other effective base material is available. See Laserfore letter ABCD dated 010101.

Good luck,

Steve

We have metal blades inserted into wooden base units for die cutting and have inserted the following into our section 3 HACCP System of our quality manual (with evidence):

Under section 3.2 of the BRC/IoP standard the following are excluded from the hazard analysis system:

Wooden formes

Reason: No other effective base material is available. See Laserfore letter ABCD dated 010101.

Good luck,

Steve

As a very long standing auditor and writer of the standard I would not accept this as an exclusion.
The purpose of the exclusion clause was specifically raised by the glass and paper industries to obviate the requirement for handwashing and other hygiene practices at the hot end (furnace and moulding) of a glass line and the wet end of a paper mill where everybody is paddling in wet pulp.
The roller cutter formes exist and there are many hazards such as angel hair, shreds, mis-cuts etc which can affect product integrity. They must be controlled therefore cannot be excluded.
The same applies to paper and corrugated die-cutter formes - I have never heard of anyone trying to exclude them!
Brian Fowler

Hi to everyone ,
I need work instruction for cleaning wooden pleats before entrance to the packaging area.


Thanks
EM