How often should we schedule machinery to be cleaned?
For an AIB Food contact packaging audit; How often do they like to see heavy machinery cleaned in the master cleaning schedule. I have all contact surfaces sanitized with wipes at the beginning of every shift. But I don't know how often they like to see the rest of the machine cleaned. My boss really doesn't want to add on more employees that just clean. Can I get a way with scheduling deeyp cleaning once a month on non contact surfaces.
It depends on your usage, how dirty your equipment gets and what the equipment is doing. How often something is cleaned depends on those factors. Usually you want to validate your cleaning to demonstrate you are getting it cleaned. You will need to monitor your equipment to define the frequency.
So in other words if I can validate that cleaning the machines once a month is good enough to keep excess debris and oil from building up then we might be ok. Right?
Yes
It is good that you already practising "all contact surfaces sanitized with wipes at the beginning of every shift". However, who does the checks at every shifts? But before that you need to identify what needs cleaning:
1. Once Every shift?
2. Once Every day?
3. Once Every week? and every month..
From here, you can create a simple excel sheet with PIC (who cleans and who checks) and time (of course with date) and start monitoring electronically. Dont forget to document it.
Cheers... :shades:
Dear paconmatt,
Only too happy to be proven wrong and as mentioned it obviously depends on the condition but a "generally" scheduled once-a-month clean looks like a guaranteed auditor-pheromone to me. And not in a good way. :smile:
Hopefully you do some evaluation of the effectiveness of yr sanitary (sanitizing?) wipes, eg ATP.?
Rgds / Charles.C
Its that dreaded word, you have to RISK ASSESS it!
Charles,
What do you mean by ATP?
ATP refers to Adenosine Triphosphate. All living cells have to have ATP. ATP systems utilize a system of swabs which have chemicals that when mixed with ATP emits light. The meters read the light and give you a reading. The reading tells you something is there, it won't tell you if it is bacteria, yeast, plant cells or mammalian cells. But it tells you there are cells there in some degree. The reading gives you an indication of cleanliness. ATP systems are a common way to verify your sanitation practices. I have provided a link below for the meter system I am most familiar with. There are other brands as well.
Without seeing the process, this tends to be difficult.What specific "food contact" packaging are you producing? What end product is going in the packaging? After a weeks worth or producing the packaging, what areas of the equipment "look" dirty?
I realize these are questions and not answers, but without knowing more about your process, it's near impossible to provide solutions.
Can you clean the framework of the equipment that is not near the food contact packaging on a monthly basis? Probably. You might even be able to do it quarterly. Bottom line is that you have to assess your process, keeping in mind that you produce "food contact" packaging.
It sounds to me like there has never been any assessment done, otherwise you would have a baseline frequency for cleaning. Once you assess and decide on a cleaning frequency, you need to verify that the frequency is correct. As mentioned above, you can do that via micro swabbing, ATP, or just good old fashioned organoleptic means.
If you can provide more info about the process, type of packaging, products that will be packed into the packaging, etc.. it would be helpful.
Marshall
Like previously stated, do a risk assessment. Let's say there is a process where a bucket slowly gets filled with something like water. How often do you empty the bucket? How long will it take for the contents to reach a level where it poses a risk to the food grade packaging or product. If the bucket fills every 8 hours, then something like emptying it every 6 hours will prevent contamination. If it fills every 6 weeks, then maybe once a month, no longer as inspectors do love the "once a month" idea. Just depends on the rsik to product safety. If you go too long, then product gets contaminated. How long you will find out with a risk assessment.
If you do the assessment and determine every 6 weeks is good, then the validation is monitoring the condition of the machinery during those six weeks and adjust the cleaning cycle accordingly until you nail it down.