Did anyone pick COVID-19 as a scenario for a mock crisis in 2020?
I am curious about the Mock Crisis you guys conducted for this unusual year. Any of you pick positive COVID-19 as a scenario? Not sure if it's applicable to Food Safety.
Please share your opinion. Thanks.
I am curious about the Mock Crisis you guys conducted for this unusual year. Any of you pick positive COVID-19 as a scenario? Not sure if it's applicable to Food Safety.
Please share your opinion. Thanks.
We did not pick COVID-19 nor will we. Like you mentioned - the food safety risk is minimal. The risk if any being food fraud due to shortages or some products.
Yes we did use it for our Mock Crisis. We used the impact from sick/contagious employees, the unknown life of the virus on various items ( receiving boxes, steel tables,) & possible food fraud due to source countries being shut down.
I have never heard of a mock crisis; I've done a mock recall before.
I have never heard of a mock crisis; I've done a mock recall before.
What GFSI standard do you use? SQF requires a test of your Business Continuity.
SQF 8.1
2.1.5.3 The Crisis Management Plan shall be reviewed, tested & verified at least annually.
Not really a "mock" crisis if it's happening, is it?
Not really a "mock" crisis if it's happening, is it?
Well if you do not have "coronavirus infected employees" currently at your facility then you can still do a mock crisis using the scenario of what if.
Can still be "mock" crisis if you don't have a positive case yet.. :sleazy:
It is an excellent example to test business continuity. We ran into several shortages of supplies for sanitation and had to find alternative suppliers. We had to examine the possibility of having a labor shortage. We also had to review our current emergency contact numbers to ensure even government/city officials were listed should we need any clarification of city "orders" that have been manadated.
Its a good chance to review your system and make sure you have all your bases covered in a crisis other than "fire" and "flood".
SQF 8.1
2.1.5.3 The Crisis Management Plan shall be reviewed, tested & verified at least annually.
We plan to use this scenario as we are challenging ours at the end of the week. We have yet to have an employee test positive but we are encountering many situations that could possibly affect the safety of our food and production that we had not thought of. It's also important to note that if an employee is out sick, and one who performs a critical function, that there are always properly trained back-ups. This is a situation I think we will notice more than others when we perform the challenge here in a few days. Also PPE is low, what are all the possible contingency plans.
Some things to think about! Especially for smaller facilities who operate on 1 or 2 person QA/Food Safety teams, or sanitation crews.
We plan to use this scenario as we are challenging ours at the end of the week. We have yet to have an employee test positive but we are encountering many situations that could possibly affect the safety of our food and production that we had not thought of. It's also important to note that if an employee is out sick, and one who performs a critical function, that there are always properly trained back-ups. This is a situation I think we will notice more than others when we perform the challenge here in a few days. Also PPE is low, what are all the possible contingency plans.
Some things to think about! Especially for smaller facilities who operate on 1 or 2 person QA/Food Safety teams, or sanitation crews.
also see parallel thread -
I would think any global pandemic could be a potential crisis if it involved disruption of your processes, closing of your facility, substitution etc. We are not specifically citing COVID-19, just a global health crisis with potential effects on our suppliers / customers. Isn't it almost as big a crisis if your customer base dwindles?
I would think any global pandemic could be a potential crisis if it involved disruption of your processes, closing of your facility, substitution etc. We are not specifically citing COVID-19, just a global health crisis with potential effects on our suppliers / customers. Isn't it almost as big a crisis if your customer base dwindles?
The Scope from the SQF 8.1 Guidance is -
A crisis management plan prescribes actions that will be taken as a result of external, environmental, climatic, equipment failure or other potential business threats that will impact the ability of the supplier to provide their customers with safe products. These threats, depending upon the supplier’s product, location and other factors may include fire, flood, power failure, storm damage, acts of terrorism, etc
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The supplier is required to identify a crisis management team including a senior decision maker and ensure the team is trained in crisis management procedures. The team shall identify known threats to the business which could disrupt or impact its ability to produce and provide safe food and prepare a plan describing the methods and controls the supplier will implement to address these threats if they were to occur and how to maintain continuity of product supply during the crisis.
We executed a Mock Crisis drill about COVID19 when it was on the news but still not a reality where we are located (Utah). The drill was a great way to bring the reality of the pending pandemic to the attention of upper management. The conversation was started around what we would do when an individual showed up positive. I corrected the conversation to be about what we would do when 10 people came up positive at one time, and then 2-3 a week positive after that. And wouldn't you know it. That is just about the reality we experienced three weeks later.
Plastic Ducky
We executed a Mock Crisis drill about COVID19 when it was on the news but still not a reality where we are located (Utah). The drill was a great way to bring the reality of the pending pandemic to the attention of upper management. The conversation was started around what we would do when an individual showed up positive. I corrected the conversation to be about what we would do when 10 people came up positive at one time, and then 2-3 a week positive after that. And wouldn't you know it. That is just about the reality we experienced three weeks later.
Plastic Ducky
Hi PD,
Why did you think the positive was related to COVID ? Pure speculation ?
Or, for example, and perhaps more FS meaningful(?) -
Risk of inadequate monitoring of HACCP critical limits due excessive loss of experienced HACCP Team personnel ?
It is unclear to me whether SQF would accept a problem of "business continuity" per se, ie not validatably linked to FS except by gut feeling. :smile:
A health crisis may be more realistic if the employees came down with Norovirus or Hep A or B - which are viruses that CAN be transmitted thru food. For FSSC 22000 V5 we have only run a mock drill based on KNOWN situations - revising your plan for Covid 19 is premature as we still don''t know enough about it - currently no food transmission...all the other " worries" i.e. for emergency ingredient substitutions (under FSSC) were a requirement already. Training / cross training is still a normal requirement regardless of any crisis - comes under resource management. I think everyone is getting too specific for this pandemic - just sit back and review plans that relate to suppliers, personnel (people quit suddenly), and customers going out of business.
A health crisis may be more realistic if the employees came down with Norovirus or Hep A or B - which are viruses that CAN be transmitted thru food. For FSSC 22000 V5 we have only run a mock drill based on KNOWN situations - revising your plan for Covid 19 is premature as we still don''t know enough about it - currently no food transmission...all the other " worries" i.e. for emergency ingredient substitutions (under FSSC) were a requirement already. Training / cross training is still a normal requirement regardless of any crisis - comes under resource management. I think everyone is getting too specific for this pandemic - just sit back and review plans that relate to suppliers, personnel (people quit suddenly), and customers going out of business.
^^^^^ Yes, I agree, but SQF also "invites" speculation into indirect connections. The Scope is temptingly flexible, eg Post 15.
hi, mind to share your mock crisis report.. i want learn this apply in my organisation if possible.
Yes we did use it for our Mock Crisis. We used the impact from sick/contagious employees, the unknown life of the virus on various items ( receiving boxes, steel tables,) & possible food fraud due to source countries being shut down.
hi, mind to share your mock crisis report.. i want learn this apply in my organisation if possible.
Hi Carine,
The potential threat responses in this remarkable Covid-19 document should easily occupy you for a few weeks. Recommended reading.