the hygienestatusof variousareas(or haveenvironmentalconsequences).
∑ Overhead pipingand (false)ceilings,as theseare oftendifficult to cleanbut
mayharbour dust,and pests and sufferfromleakagesand peelingpaint.
∑ All entrances(doors, windows,otherholes in the walls) to the facility, their
physicalstatusand theirstatus in relation to the zoning principles(e.g.where
hand-washing is required, are all entrances covered by hand-washing
stations?)
∑ Wallsand floors,theirbasicdesignand current condition.
∑ Pestcontrol: minimisingpest-relatedrisk oftenrequiresa carefulbalance
between keeping pestsout whileat the same time keeping the use and
availabilityof potentiallytoxicpest controlmaterials to a minimum. What
typeof pestcontrols is the facilityusing(traps,fumigation), can the audit
team assess effectiveness and is therean appropriate balance between
specificprevention (varioustypesof pest traps)and general prevention
(keepingdoorsclosed, protectingthe immediate environment of the facility,
etc.)?The teamshould also checkrecordsof findingsand correctiveactions.
For our currentpurposes,pestcontrol alsoappliesto the managementof
domestic animalson site.
∑ Packaging materials usually come on pallets (see above) and may in
themselves present hygienerisks(e.g.mouldon cartons).
∑ Waste,rejected materials, reworkand materials on holdwillall require
differentstorageconditions,whichshould be consistentwithappropriate
requirementsfor theirrespectivepurposes.
∑ Lubricants maybe potentialfoodcontact materials, and as suchhavea high
priority as (usually non-HACCP) contamination concerns, but not all
lubricants usedon site will fall into that category.
∑ All equipmentspecificallyusedfor protecting the hygienic statusof the food
materials or the general environment (sieves, magnets, de-stoners,sorters);
are theyrelevant, appropriatelypositioned,effective, robustand efficient?
40.6.5 Follow-upafterthe audit
As argued above,the reportof a hygieneimprovementauditshouldbe written
by the auditees,demonstrating theirlearningby capturingall items for potential
improvement,an assessmentof theirpriorityand the pertinent follow-up plans.
These plans should clearly indicate what needs to be done, timing,
responsibilitiesand whatthe measureof success will be. The external auditors
willapprove the audit report,confirmingthe observationsand conclusions,
prioritisation and appropriatenessof the proposed improvementprojects.
Decisionswill then haveto be takenby management in terms of accepting(or
not) the auditproposals and providingresources.
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