Mustering Motivation

Federal Requirements

In plants in the U.S. that are manufacturing meat, poultry, seafood or juice products, the written program for cleaning the facility is required by law. This is part of the SSOPs (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures), and the requirements may be found in the following CFRs (Codes of Federal Regulations). Meat and poultry, 9 CFR 416; seafood, 21 CFR123, and juice, 21 CFR120. The five SSOP requirements in these facilities are as follows:

1. The plan must be written, with all pre-operation and post-operation requirements included.
2. The plan must be signed, indicating acceptance, by the most responsible individual in the operation. This person might be the plant manager, HACCP coordinator, or sanitation supervisor.
3. The plan must clearly identify any pre-operation versus during operation cleaning.
4. The responsible individuals must be named in the plan– this could be by title– and will go along with existing written job descriptions.
5. Daily records must be on file. These must be verified by supervisory personnel.

Specific Schedules

A master sanitation schedule should be developed for all tasks. Use a separate checklist for all tasks to be done daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, etc. The checklist could be in the form of separate worksheets for each frequency of task, a “vacation planner schedule” type of calendar posted on the wall, computerized work orders, etc. These checklists should be initialed as each task is done. By using initials instead of checkmarks, the sanitation employee gains more responsibility over the task.

Verification of the cleaning tasks is necessary. This is accomplished by supervisory personnel. The supervisor will review and sign the sanitation schedules to ensure that all tasks have been completed.

Material safety data sheets must be available for each cleaner and sanitizer used in the plant. These should be located in an employee right-to-know center. The MSDS explains the nature of the chemical, and indicates what emergency procedures must be followed in case of accidental exposure. These must be organized in an orderly fashion, usually alphabetical, so that they are readily accessible. Other MSDS that will be on file will include those for the pesticides used in the facility, and those chemicals used in the maintenance and transport shops (if applicable).

The employee must also understand why a cleaner or sanitizer is used. There are some basic terms that are useful: clean, sanitary, and sterile. Clean simply means that the surface is free of visible dirt. Sanitary means that the surface is free of pathogenic organisms. Sterile means that the surface is free of all living organisms.

To have the most effective sanitation training, it is necessary to be able to explain the process to the current or new sanitation employees.

To achieve total sanitation (the destruction of bacteria and other microorganisms), every cleaning operation should include four basic steps. Whether it is manual, COP (clean-out-of-place) or CIP (clean-in-place) cleaning, the same four steps must be followed:

Pre-rinse: Rinse with either fresh water or a previously-used wash solution. This will remove any gross soils that are loose. The use of warm water– not hot water– is best for this step. This should be done as soon as possible after processing to prevent the soil from drying on the surface.

Detergent and solution application (wash): The cleaner must have contact with the soil in order to remove it. Application can be achieved in various ways. Examples are: brushing, foaming, flushing or spraying through a spray device. The concentration of this solution should be tested using a test kit. Different cleaners are used to obtain different results. Surfactants are used to remove soil and light residue from surfaces. Degreasers are used to remove grease and oils. Acid cleaners remove protein and scale residues. Abrasive cleaners remove burnt-on or heavy residue. The chemical supplier will help to identify the intended use of each cleaner.