McCoy, the director of quality and technical training at Wil-Kil Pest Control, a Copesan Pest Solutions Partner, is an Associated Certified Entomologist and has been in the structural pest management field since 1995. Reach him at [email protected].
Top 10 Documentation Infractions
When it comes to documentation, pest management professionals working with QA and facility managers need to remember three things: accuracy, consistency, and thoroughness.
If these three things are covered when compiling the required documentation for your facility, you will dramatically improve chances of successfully passing third-party audits and staying compliant with FSMA mandates.
What are the most common pest management documentation infractions? Review below list and see if your facility and pest management partner are making the grade when it comes to documentation.
- Missing labels and SDSs
- Missing business license
- Missing technician licenses
- Missing certificate of insurance
- Not documenting pest conducive conditions
- Missing or out-of-date device map
- Missing temporary device map
- Missing approved materials list
- Missing annual facility assessment
- Missing annual insect light trap bulb change dates
If your documentation is missing one or more of the above items, have a conversation with your pest management service provider to review documentation protocols and make sure they are capturing the data you need.—SM
Audit Fails List
Having your facility successfully pass a third-party audit or government inspection is the most important work-related task a QA or plant manager has. If your facility fails an audit or inspection, it can result in production shutdowns, product recalls, fines and citations, not to mention damage to your brand(s) and lost revenue.
The British Retail Consortium (BRC), a food safety and quality certification program, audited more than 17,000 facilities and identified the most common reason for failure—documentation.
Almost 20% of facilities audited by the BRC had non-conformities in the documentation of cleaning procedures. What were the other infractions that caused audit failures? Below is the complete list of fails along with the percentage of plants with each deficiency.
- Documentation of cleaning procedures (18%)
- Properly maintained doors and docks (14%)
- Processes for control of chemicals (12%)
- Proper design and placement of equipment (12%)
- Documented glass/brittle material handling (12%)
- Adequate raw material identification (11%)
- Proper wall maintenance (10%)
- Up-to-date document control system (10%)
- Properly maintained ceilings and overheads (9%)
- Proper storage of finished goods (9%)
As the study showed, documentation is the most common deficiency leading to a failed audit. Having a well-organized documentation system will provide clients, auditors, or inspectors a clear view of where the pest management program stands at any time.—SM
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