Audit Tips: How to Think Like an Auditor and Avoid Risks, Fines, Shutdowns

Tripping hazards can develop when floor quarry tiles or dairy bricks—which are commonly found in food facilities—become uneven, in some instances because water has ponded beneath them and worked them loose, leaving bumps and voids in the flooring. Beyond contributing to falls, such voids can become harborage points for bacteria, and a facility may fail inspection if these areas are not corrected. A facility manager can mitigate both slipping and sanitation concerns by installing a seamless resinous flooring system at the outset of a flooring installation or on top of quarry tile or dairy brick. Such floors offer better drainage, provided the floor has a proper slope, and eliminate grout lines, which trap moisture and promote bacteria growth.

To minimize the risk of another hazard such as burns, a facility manager should look at any area where a worker may come into contact with a heated surface, from piping to tanks, and treat it with a heat-resistant insulative coating. Such coatings allow otherwise hot surfaces to remain cool to the touch without insulation applied, while also providing some insulative properties that will retain heat inside the pipe or vessel. Using coatings instead of insulation also removes the opportunity for corrosion to develop beneath insulation, which can be a hidden and potentially dangerous development.

2. Sanitary Facilities & Controls

Bacteria and allergens are a serious concern for any facility because they jeopardize food products with contamination and cross-contamination potential, respectively. An FSMA auditor tests extensively for these unwanted contaminants, knowing that, despite cleaning protocols, nut material, for example, can get lodged in walls and floors, and then days later, potentially dislodge and end up in another product. For a facility manager developing a preventive maintenance program, the aim should be to eliminate any risks from bacteria and allergens. The focus for both will be to ensure proper water management and eliminate porous surfaces

Facilities are washed down regularly, but how much of the water and chemicals, potentially loaded with bacteria and allergens, make their way to the drains? It is critical to prevent these fluids from ponding behind the walls or under the floor. A coatings specialist can suggest the right products to create seamless systems for these surfaces. In a facility with block walls, for instance, a specialist might suggest using block filler to reduce any divots where allergens can rest before applying a smooth topcoat material designed for washdowns.

Consider also the transition from walls to floors. The crevice of a 90-degree transition makes it easy for bacteria to lodge and remain there following cleaning processes. However, a cove or cant base, with its curved or 45-degree transition, respectively, from wall to floor, creates a seamless floor-to-wall transition and slope that enables more thorough draining and better hygiene following cleanings.

Of course, the end destination for cleaning water is the drain, which is why the floor must have a proper slope that allows fluids to drain away. A cove or cant base helps with this movement at the wall, as does the design of the drain itself. For example, many facilities are transitioning from trench to box drains because the former has more surface area where water and microbes can lodge and allow bacteria to proliferate. Installing a box drain will limit contamination; however, to ensure proper drainage, the floor surrounding the box drain must be re-pitched a quarter inch for every foot that fluids must fall from the edge of the wall.

3. Equipment Preservation

Food and beverage facilities are rife with steel—metal ceilings, railings, columns, and more—found above and near production lines and packaging operations. As steel wears, rust and paint chips can break loose and potentially drop into products. This is one reason why an FSMA auditor closely inspects any steel along a product’s path through a facility. A facility manager should also trace those paths, across every floor and up every stairwell, looking for exposure risks and treating the steel with proper coatings. Coated steel is not only better at resisting corrosion and rust, but also easier to clean.