8 replies to this topic

[kconf]

Hey everyone! 

 

BRCGS requires Food Safety Culture Survey every year and discussion on results at senior management meeting.

Would someone please give a template/list of survey questions to be covered? 

 

Thanks in advance. 

 

[GMO]

You can find stuff off the shelf but if it's not validated in any way, it's probably not going to be worth the paper it's written on.  Response rates are really important as are how you write the questions.  Where are you based?

 

The GFSI paper and the PAS are both good places to start.

 

mygfsi.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/GFSI-Food-Safety-Culture-Full.pdf

Developing a Mature Food Safety Culture - PAS 320:2023 | BSI

 

Strictly speaking you don't have to do a survey, you just have to measure it.  That doesn't have to be a survey.  

 

There companies out there supporting this but do check with them how their measurement is validated.  Not all of them do the leg work they should.

[kconf]

We are in the US. You might be correct. It's actually my external auditor that encourages annual surveys. 

[kfromNE]

A survey is the easiest way, that's why your auditor recommended it. I was researching employee behaviors, food safety and corrective actions this week. 

I didn't find what I needed exactly to but did find these about food safety culture. The below articles I have on my browser that may help you with questions to ask. 

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm...60/pdf/main.pdf

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm...es/PMC10887550/

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/28873684/

[GMO]

A survey is the easiest way, that's why your auditor recommended it. I was researching employee behaviors, food safety and corrective actions this week. 

I didn't find what I needed exactly to but did find these about food safety culture. The below articles I have on my browser that may help you with questions to ask. 

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm...60/pdf/main.pdf

 

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm...es/PMC10887550/

 

https://pubmed.ncbi....h.gov/28873684/

 

Some interesting papers pointing to what I was talking about (especially the first one).  Some of the surveys out there just aren't based on anything.  Sadly.  If you do use one, make sure you understand that they know what they're talking about.  That paper is a great resource to use when asking questions on it.

[kfromNE]

We used a survey that we had found that had been used by other food manufacturing facilities. The first year, I kept it the same because we did it more last minute. The second year and with time, I changed it. I changed the wording to more simple/easier to understand. Now, I compare them from year to year. We don't have huge staff turnover so I can do this. 

[kconf]

I would love to see 10 solid survey questions. 

[GMO]

I would love to see 10 solid survey questions. 

 

You could write some from the PAS320 document I referenced.

 

I'm not sure that you will get out of it what you want, unless what you want is ticking a box.  People don't write their own questions for engagement surveys for a reason (at least most don't).  

 

Personally if you want to go down the route of writing your own questions, I'd do it in a focus group format.  That way you can actually check the question has been understood.  Do it across a few different groups including several groups of operators, then a group of team leaders, managers etc.

 

This has some more ideas in it on how to approach it all and the pitfalls of some methods.

 

The Food Safety Culture Toolkit | Alliance to STOP

[AZuzack]

As a new hire, I wasn't involved in the survey that went out this year.  I spent some time analyzing the data and we just shared the results with the employees as part of Food Safety Day (week).  

1) Make sure you use simple language.  We had a few big words on there where a simpler word would have sufficed.  Also simple direct language translates better. I am also considering reading each question to the group a loud so that people that do not read well (or at all) can participate.

2) Consider ways to make the responses anonymous.  For example, we had everyone turn in their questionnaire but 4 of the questionnaires were in Spanish... We are keeping paper copies but next time the answer sheet will be generic and separate from the questions so I can't tell if the person was a Spanish or English speaker.  

3) Have at least 2 questions where the opposite response is the positive response.  So if the positive response is "Agree" for most questions, then you need to word a few questions where "Disagree" is the positive response.  Don't allow your employees to circle all the answers in 1 column without reading the questions. We had 4 of 20 surveys that were all the same answer.  Yeah maybe those employees just really really love it here... 

4) Select a few of the more negatively answered questions to write company goals around.  Leave those questions unchanged on the next survey. 

5) Review the results with the employees.  This helps them know you are listening and responding and that their honest response matters.  

 

In the attached photo: A-Agree, N-Neutral, D-Disagree.  8 people completely skipped or missed the 6 questions on the back side of the paper and 2 people somehow missed or chose to not answer question 6.  So for the next survey, we are looking into ways to improve the responses to questions 6-9 and 14.  

 

Attached Files

•  Picture1.png   29.79KB   0 downloads