control. Documentation should include the
objective(s); job title of each employee
involved; flow charts of the operations
involved, with the CCPs highlighted; haz-
ards and details, with control options, cross-
references to equipment maintenance and
cleaning schedules, and procedures or
CGMPs that apply to the process; and sum-
mary and conclusions, including action to be
taken as a result of the analysis. Shapton and
Shapton (1991) suggested that the HACCP
report forms the record of the plan and
should be presented in a way that is readily
available to anyone who needs to use the
report. It is an important resource when any
changes are proposed for the process or spec-
ification concerned. A matrix has been sug-
gested (Shapton and Shapton, 1991) to allow
this feature, with these suggested column
headings:
- CCP number
- Process/storage state of this CCP
- Description of the state
- Hazards associated with the state
- Hazards controlled
- Control limits
- Deviations and how they have been or
may be corrected - Planned improvements
To ensure success, employees should be
educated, trained, and retrained in the use of
HACCP. Employee turnover rate necessi-
tates that continuous education be provided
so that plant personnel understand HACCP
and the need for various controls that have
been established. This approach can lead to
the reduction of foodborne illness outbreaks
and the replacement of costly crisis manage-
ment with cost-effective control.
Effective implementation of the HACCP
concept encompasses education of employ-
ees, especially workers in the production
areas where problems can occur. An effective
approach contains the following steps:
1.Management education. Quality assur-
ance personnel and higher manage-
ment need to understand the HACCP
concept so that an effective program
can be instituted that relies on total
commitment of all personnel. Training
courses for the management team are
important to create the awareness that
is the basis of the entire program. Fur-
thermore, plant managers and supervi-
sors should set a positive example.
2.Operational steps. The plant design and
operating procedures may require
change to avoid interference with a
hygienic operation. Experienced, prop-
erly trained personnel should be
assigned to critical operations.
3.Employee motivation. Improvement of
working conditions can be a motivating
force in the implementation of HACCP.
Task redesign may be a helpful tool in
attaining success. All employees must
feel a sense of personal responsibility
for the quality and safety of food prod-
ucts.
4.Employee involvement. To ensure com-
mitment of the workers, they must be
involved in problem solving. Consulta-
tion groups (quality circles) should be
instituted and their recommendations
considered. Management should guide,
not administer, the HACCP program.
Furthermore, this program requires
total commitment to a long-term
undertaking by all levels of manage-
ment and production employees.Because HACCP represents a structured
approach to control the safety of food prod-
ucts, it must be organized and managed in a
way to ensure that the plan is operating cor-
rectly and will be sustained and maintained
in the future (Stevenson and Bernard, 1995).
The most viable source for leadership to
organize and implement HACCP is the