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What to do if staff will not implement corrective actions from an audit nonconformance?

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nerea

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Posted 13 August 2020 - 12:02 PM

Hello!
We had an audit by IFS and one of our non-conformities is that we do not have good protection of the primary packaging during its storage in the warehouse. I raised the corrective action training of those responsible. After a month I checked the implementation of the CA and found again some not well-wrapped foil in the warehouse. I talked to the colleagues responsible for this - there were excuses "I'm not", "we have a lot of work", etc. This establishes that I do not have an effective CA. I did the training again. Today I checked the packaging storage warehouse and again there were some poorly packaged foils. Please advise me what could be the next CA?


olenazh

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Posted 13 August 2020 - 12:33 PM

Hi nerea; May be, involving upper management could help make your responsible personnel understand better? Also, don't forget to put on paper all CAs, training, follow ups, non-conformances, etc. to have evidence



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nerea

SQFconsultant

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Posted 13 August 2020 - 12:41 PM

Do you not have a process of warnings and then termination of employees - seems to be pretty effective for many.


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nerea

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Posted 13 August 2020 - 01:26 PM

Hi nerea; May be, involving upper management could help make your responsible personnel understand better? Also, don't forget to put on paper all CAs, training, follow ups, non-conformances, etc. to have evidence

 

Thanks Olenazh, but an upper management is not an option. Everything is documented on paper. :) 


 

Do you not have a process of warnings and then termination of employees - seems to be pretty effective for many.

 

Thanks SQFconsultant.

Yes, some time ago I used this technique - a protocol for administrative violation to put the product at risk, but I did not get to dismiss an employee for this - I am not sure that they will allow me to dismiss an employee for this.

Can these procedures - administrative penalties - "black mark" (I'm not sure if it's the right term in English), dismissal warning and the dismissal itself - be used as documented corrective actions?


Edited by nerea, 13 August 2020 - 01:28 PM.

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zoelawton

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Posted 13 August 2020 - 02:50 PM

Hello.

 

I completely understand your frustration. 

I am in a position where i am responsible for raising/reporting non-conformances, and dealing with all corrective actions etc. including in third party audits. 

 

Why is it that you cannot go to upper management? 

 

If you have reported this to upper management and they simply do not care, make sure you have evidenced this and i would allow your site to receive another non-conformance for the same issue from an external auditor, then at least you have evidenced that you have made them aware. 

 

(this is just me because i'm so used to this situation - i have a list of things raised to senior management and ignored so that nothing can come back on me for their poor management)


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TimG

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Posted 13 August 2020 - 04:29 PM

Hello nerea. As others have mentioned this is, unfortunately, an issue many of us struggle with.

"Please advise me what could be the next CA?"

The answer to this really depends on how your CA's are set up. Some systems are designed to easily re-open the previous corrective action and list the reason of re-opening, in this case "ineffective correction resulting from failure to follow agreed upon X (X being process change, doc change, whatever was put in place to correct the non-compliance)." If your system is not designed to do that I would suggest you open a new CA and reference the previous CA, while using the above reason.

"Everything is documented on paper"

It might be time for you to approach upper management and explain to them, tactfully, that your documentation is painting a picture for auditors that puts your company in a bad light. Explain to them that you need their assistance/guidance on how to handle it, before it becomes a bigger issue.

 

If they tell you to try to cover it up or make the paperwork say things that aren't reality, well then you have bigger some decisions to make.



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Hoosiersmoker

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Posted 19 August 2020 - 02:27 PM

This also branches to your Food Safety Culture as well. Going to your superiors / company owners and explaining that it could be a major non-conformance due to poor food safety culture might prompt them to help intervene?



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Posted 19 August 2020 - 03:57 PM

Your next CA is to write them up. (Go to their supervisor/manager) Can't come up with any simpler than that.


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


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Posted 20 August 2020 - 08:11 AM

Hello,

 

You may be given by the auditor a major NC if you did not make a CA. Even the CA must be verified if it is effective. It is a neglectful act on your part. Even a recurring incident is basically not effective CA.

 

 

regards,

redfox



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Setanta

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Posted 20 August 2020 - 11:32 AM

You might also want to consider looking for work elsewhere, the future doesn't look good for this company.


-Setanta         

 

 

 


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