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Mould growth on ceiling in storage areas above open product, how much of a problem is this?

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zoelawton

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Posted 25 June 2020 - 02:19 PM

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. 

 

 



LB Meagher

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Posted 25 June 2020 - 02:49 PM

Hello to "Replying to Mould growth in storage areas".  That is a serious situation, so your best bet is to remove all the materials out, spray with bleach water, let it dry, check for residual mould on your products/equipment and you're good to go.  Also, since you know you have mould, then it is expected that you have a mould remediation program [as a PRP] in your HARA program. Hope that helps.

 

 

 

 

 

 



LB Meagher

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Posted 25 June 2020 - 02:49 PM

Hello to "Replying to Mould growth in storage areas".  That is a serious situation, so your best bet is to remove all the materials out, spray with bleach water, let it dry, check for residual mould on your products/equipment and you're good to go.  Also, since you know you have mould, then it is expected that you have a mould remediation program [as a PRP] in your HARA program. Hope that helps.

 

 

 

 

 

 



SQFconsultant

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Posted 25 June 2020 - 04:40 PM

Not good as an audit finding. Clean it up and look for root cause. We had a cooler where a condensor line was miss routed above a ceiling panel and it was leaking... the entirw ceiling had to come done.


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Ethellano

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Posted 25 June 2020 - 11:07 PM

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. 



zoelawton

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Posted 26 June 2020 - 06:08 AM

We know the root cause, have done since it appeared.



Ian R

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 01:31 PM

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



The Food Scientist

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 02:14 PM

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.    


Edited by The Food Scientist, 30 June 2020 - 02:20 PM.

Everything in food is science. The only subjective part is when you eat it. - Alton Brown.


zoelawton

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 03:10 PM

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. 



The Food Scientist

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 03:32 PM

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!


Everything in food is science. The only subjective part is when you eat it. - Alton Brown.


Fred73

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Posted 30 June 2020 - 04:30 PM

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!



Hoosiersmoker

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Posted 02 July 2020 - 03:33 PM

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.





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