Jump to content

  • Quick Navigation
Photo

SQF Concerns: Chairs/Stools in the production areas

Share this

  • You cannot start a new topic
  • Please log in to reply
9 replies to this topic
- - - - -

PetBone

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 49 posts
  • 2 thanks
2
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 22 December 2014 - 08:34 PM

Looking for some personal experience on if chairs/stools are an issue in SQF certification?



SpursGirl

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 117 posts
  • 83 thanks
27
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Female
  • Location:PA

Posted 22 December 2014 - 09:20 PM

In what context do you have your concerns?

 

From a health and safety perspective - ie trip/slips/idiots leaning back in chairs and falling over backwards?

 

From a food safety perspective - ie fabric chairs seats (hygiene and cleaning), foreign body risks?

 

Or from a perspective perspective - ie if people have time to sit around in chairs they obviously do not have enough work to keep them busy?



PetBone

    Grade - AIFSQN

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 49 posts
  • 2 thanks
2
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 22 December 2014 - 09:21 PM

Food safety concerns.



RG3

    Grade - PIFSQN

  • IFSQN Principal
  • 501 posts
  • 169 thanks
76
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Interests:"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them" Albert Einstein

Posted 22 December 2014 - 11:00 PM

IMEX no issue with chairs being in a production office that has a door that opens directly into a production floor. Just steer away from wooden chairs/stools. However, you have jogged my mind and it would be a good idea to add that somewhere into a Sanitation Schedule, just afraid it may oxidize over time.



Charles.C

    Grade - FIFSQN

  • IFSQN Moderator
  • 20,542 posts
  • 5662 thanks
1,544
Excellent

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male
  • Interests:SF
    TV
    Movies

Posted 23 December 2014 - 08:35 AM

Too many / too comfortable chairs might be a FS hazard.

 

Rgds / Charles.C


Kind Regards,

 

Charles.C


Mr. Incognito

    "Mostly Harmless"

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,571 posts
  • 272 thanks
131
Excellent

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male

Posted 23 December 2014 - 12:37 PM

We had chairs on the floor in a high risk SQF Level 3 facility and the auditor had no problem with it.  

 

Cover yourself by performing a risk analysis.  Make sure they are clean and in good repair.  Get metal stools with no backs.  This keeps your employees from lounging and not working, they are uncomfortable so they won't sit all the time, and there is no fabric or plastic to get into your product.  Keep them clean.  They could even be on the master sanitation schedule for the room or however you break down your cleaning assignments.

 

There is no reason you can't have stools.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. Incognito


:tardis:

Mr. Incognito is a cool frood who can travel the width and breadth of the galaxy and still know where his towel is.

That Guy

    Grade - MIFSQN

  • IFSQN Member
  • 53 posts
  • 16 thanks
19
Good

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Location:Western New York
  • Interests:I'm a nerd, enough said.

Posted 23 December 2014 - 03:07 PM

We have employees on the inspection line that cant stand for long periods. We use draft chairs made of vinyl and metal, no arm rests. They are cleaned/sanitized weekly at minimum, the concern I have had in my risk assessment is that people touch the chair then touch product. As long as GMP's and prerequisite programs are effective then the use of chairs is acceptable with in our low risk processes. Chairs in high risk processes may not be as acceptable. Chairs, especially ones with wheels, have a lot of places for micro activity and if the chair height is adjustable it may have grease or hydraulic fluids in some of the mechanisms.


Chive On.


Mr. Incognito

    "Mostly Harmless"

  • IFSQN Fellow
  • 1,571 posts
  • 272 thanks
131
Excellent

  • Earth
    Earth
  • Gender:Male

Posted 23 December 2014 - 03:49 PM

I don't know your setup but are you able to have hand sanitizer nearby after they sit down?  We had hand sanitizer at the tables at the pasta plant I worked at so that employees could sanitize their hands during their shift.


____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Mr. Incognito


:tardis:

Mr. Incognito is a cool frood who can travel the width and breadth of the galaxy and still know where his towel is.

rrana

    Grade - Active

  • IFSQN Associate
  • 20 posts
  • 5 thanks
1
Neutral

  • United States
    United States

Posted 23 December 2014 - 04:05 PM

Hello all, as long as it's meeting its Food Safety Requirement , and can be justified with the Risk analysis, I don't think there shouldn't be a problem



RG3

    Grade - PIFSQN

  • IFSQN Principal
  • 501 posts
  • 169 thanks
76
Excellent

  • United States
    United States
  • Gender:Male
  • Interests:"We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them" Albert Einstein

Posted 23 December 2014 - 04:17 PM

Hello rrana





Share this

0 user(s) are reading this topic

0 members, 0 guests, 0 anonymous users