Mould growth on ceiling in storage areas above open product, how much of a problem is this?
Afternoon Everyone,
I have an issue at our site. (I am QC)
We have a chilled room that holds finished goods, all packed, primary, secondary and most of the time tertiary packaged, completely sealed.
One part of the room is used for storing 'finished goods' that are for bulk sale, for example there could be 30/40 pallets of the product, that is simply on trays and not sealed.
My issue is, we have mould growth on the ceiling about 10ft above the open product. Now, myself and senior management have known about this for a few months now, yet still nothing has been done.
I am 100% aware we have an unannounced BRC audit next month and i am freaking out.
How much in the poop is this going to land us if this isn't resolved?
I am super worried this is going to land me in trouble even though I've reported it and reported it.
Check the root cause of the leakage. It could be a leaking pipe inside the ceiling or it could be air condition cooling water that is not draining out and building up in the ceiling.
We know the root cause, have done since it appeared.
Hi
As pointed out not good as an audit finding
basically you are in condition R triple D - really deep do do
Some extent depends on the amount of mould as a guide to how long its being on on, determines how deep you sink
Make sure you have fully documented the reporting of the problem include a requirement to move the open product away from the mould
If you have records showing you have reported it then you could get non-conformance for hygiene (the mould is there) and another for management commitment (they haven't anything about it despite being advised)
Two questions
has there been a potential breach of food safety - if yes then it a major
has there been an actual breach - if yes then its a critical
rgds
That is an issue. Think of it as you are a customer, would you like to receive these cases (even with secondary and tertiary packaging) with mold on them? I am sure not.
You say you have identified the root cause but then never resolved it? That won't look good in front of an auditor. What is the point of finding the root cause of things if we don't work on correcting them and preventing them from happening?
My advice is to correct it as soon as possible. You never know when the auditor will show up.
We have been having an AC unit leaking water in the storage room like you. I go crazy everytime I went in there and have called several people to come and fix it but still leaking water non-stop. I had them remove all product from below or near it. (for now) and got a better maintenance team who will have to replace the entire unit because obviously the old one could not be fixed. So in case an auditor comes they can see how we removed any product that may become contaminated and we are pending on it's maintenance.
That is an issue. Think of it as you are a customer, would you like to receive these cases (even with secondary and tertiary packaging) with mold on them? I am sure not.
You say you have identified the root cause but then never resolved it? That won't look good in front of an auditor. What is the point of finding the root cause of things if we don't work on correcting them and preventing them from happening?
My advice is to correct it as soon as possible. You never know when the auditor will show up.
We have been having an AC unit leaking water in the storage room like you. I go crazy everytime I went in there and have called several people to come and fix it but still leaking water non-stop. I had them remove all product from below or near it. (for now) and got a better maintenance team who will have to replace the entire unit because obviously the old one could not be fixed. So in case an auditor comes they can see how we removed any product that may become contaminated and we are pending on it's maintenance.
Hey - I've tried.
God knows how many emails an conversations I have had regarding resolving this.
Poor senior management / lack of care is all I can say.
Hey - I've tried.
God knows how many emails an conversations I have had regarding resolving this.
Poor senior management / lack of care is all I can say.
I feel you! Same thing here but at the end I finally got them to put the work into place! Hang in there, it'll come. Due to these same recurring situations with senior management I started looking elsewhere.
Good luck!
I got a similar problem in a storage area (produce) once, racking paint was chipping/falling (it was a totally inappropriate racking for that enviroment). I will recommend keep records of the emails/communications and any previous step that the company is doing (work quotes?) to show that there is some level of process.
Also get mitigation steps, move product out, of course, clean it up (even if it is not in the better way), install signs in the area to prevent product to be storage there, keep records of periodic inspections to update of the situation.
I remember we had a site with numerous roof leaks once, was an old building, we could not get the roof fix in time, but we did install tarps, collectors receptacles and implemented a inspection schedule and sanitation to demonstrate something was done to lower (if possible) the potential risk of product contamination.
Good luck!
Hey - I've tried.
God knows how many emails an conversations I have had regarding resolving this.
Poor senior management / lack of care is all I can say.
That's a critical failure of your FSMS. Management responsibilities:
2.1.2.2 The senior site management shall make provision to ensure food safety practices and all applicable requirements of the SQF System are adopted and maintained.
2.1.2.3 The senior site management shall ensure adequate resources are available to achieve food safety objectives and support the development, implementation, maintenance and ongoing improvement of the SQF System.
Pretty clear demonstration that management has no desire to correct the issue. Not to mention continuous improvement, corrective actions & preventive actions. System breakdown at the top.