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Is it OK for an emergency exit to open onto a food area?

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selminay

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Posted 20 April 2007 - 07:42 AM

Hi,
I would like to have your opinion about emergeny exit doors. Does it conform to HACCP and hygiene if a personnel dressing room door (as emergency exit) is directly open to production area. This door has an affix (kind of lock) on it to prevent to be used as normal door.

I don't have so much information about OHSAS 18001 Occupational health and safety. So I need advices.

Thanks and regards,
Selmin



Simon

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Posted 20 April 2007 - 07:56 AM

There are a lot of facts that are left out such as, proximity of door to work / food areas, also would opening the door involve breaking glass etc.

However, in my opinion it would be OK, if the door would only be used in an emergency such as a fire. Following a fire there would be a review of any work in process for its safety and I'm sure opening a door would not create any more additional risk. One thought would the door be tested during a mock emergency such as a fire drill? This may be a possibility to assess any such risk. :biggrin:


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selminay

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Posted 20 April 2007 - 11:28 AM

Dear Simon,
Thank you for your answer.

Regards,
Selmin



Charles.C

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Posted 20 April 2007 - 11:32 AM

Dear Selminay,

Regarding info -
I hope this is not the only emergency exit.
I presume ‘affix” means it cannot be opened from the outside? (It is surely always openable from the inside + the dressing room is always open also ??) - I don't think you can have "partial" emergency exits in normal time ?
I presume we are talking about “low-risk” products ??

Regardless of the emergency exit aspect -
In my experience dressing rooms are often paired with toilets in a location sense, for the latter the American CGMP (21 CFR 110) regulations require –

“Provision of doors that do not open into areas where food is exposed to airborne contaminations except where alternate means have been taken to protect against such contamination [such as double doors or positive airflow systems]
http://www.cfsan.fda...lrd/cfr110.html

However Codex seems to be more flexible -

4.4.4 PERSONNEL HYGIENE FACILITIES AND TOILETS
……
Such facilities should be suitably located and designated
http://www.fao.org/d...e02.htm#bm2.5.2

BRC seemed to have selected some of both

IMEX, auditors usually follow the first approach. (I seem to remember Simon [amiably] disagreeing with this in a previous thread ?)

Be prepared to validate.

Rgds / Charles.C

added - since you are asking with respect to ISO22k which presumably accepts Codex, maybe the "hygienicity" of the location is flexible :smile:


Edited by Charles.C, 20 April 2007 - 11:53 AM.

Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


Simon

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Posted 20 April 2007 - 09:16 PM

IMEX, auditors usually follow the first approach. (I seem to remember Simon [amiably] disagreeing with this in a previous thread ?)

Be prepared to validate.

Hello Charles, I hope you are doing well. :smile: I'm a little too tired to disagree. I think we could do with a little more detail from Selmin to make a confident decision.

Regards,
Simon

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Charles.C

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Posted 21 April 2007 - 06:49 AM

Dear Simon,

Still waiting to win the lottery.
:tired: eh - Blame the wife. I certainly hope it's not the vindaloo. :bug:

Rgds / Charles.C


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


selminay

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Posted 26 April 2007 - 09:21 AM

Hello again,
Sorry for delay.

I asked this question in ISO 22000 respect. This emergency exit door is directly open to production beginning area (feeding of raw materials). No there are not toilets but there are baths in the rooms. There is one more entrance door to this room, which is seperated from production area. This emergency door is second door.
But we are thinking to keep this door always close, by putting an affix on. If the affix is broken ( damaged), easy to understand that personel used the door. So, then we can consider to knock the door and built a wall there.

Dressing room is inside of the building, not outside.

Who won the lottery?

Regards,
Selmin



Charles.C

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Posted 27 April 2007 - 04:38 AM

Dear Selminay,

You seem to have a most intriguing working environment. More like a leisure centre. :biggrin:
Are the “baths” of the foot, hand, or sauna type ? Am also curious as to what you are producing ?
Have used cinema - type emergency exit doors directly connected to the production area with no negative auditor comments however they are liable to be misused (eg sounds of external knocking during a factory inspection !)

Regarding the lottery winner, maybe this character –

Posted Image

Rgds / Charles.C


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


cazyncymru

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Posted 27 April 2007 - 08:51 AM

Hello again,
Sorry for delay.

I asked this question in ISO 22000 respect. This emergency exit door is directly open to production beginning area (feeding of raw materials). No there are not toilets but there are baths in the rooms. There is one more entrance door to this room, which is seperated from production area. This emergency door is second door.
But we are thinking to keep this door always close, by putting an affix on. If the affix is broken ( damaged), easy to understand that personel used the door. So, then we can consider to knock the door and built a wall there.

Dressing room is inside of the building, not outside.

Who won the lottery?

Regards,
Selmin



Hi selmin


there is nothing stopping you having your emergency exit opening into another "refugee area".
however you say this are is a raw materials area. i would look at doing a risk assessment based on the goods in this area. are they flammable such as powders etc? would they give off toxic fumes if you were trapped in there for a short lengh of time? could you get out of this room quickly? also if your affix is a glass that you have to break you will need to do a glass risk assessment? do you have a plan for the disposal of the raw materials if there were any potential incident?

i know i'm probably stanting the obvious but best that you have these documented for any potential auditor to show that you have covered all risks, not just to a persons safety, but to food safety.




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