Personal Hygiene - Smoke Breaks - Outside -Designated Area

Per local guidelines and standards, smoking is currently permitted on scheduled breaks in and external designated area.

Directives are in place for washing ones hands prior to returning to work.

 

Question:  Uniforms are being worn on the break.  Is this an issue with the BRC Standard? The employees are in a covered area outside and generally out there for 10 minutes or less.

I don't follow BRC, but our employees wear smocks hairnets and rubber workboots---none of those are allowed outside

I would say the auditor will be looking for a risk analysis if you allow your employees to take their clothing outside, smoke, sit, crouch, eat on their break, etc.

(you can pray the auditor doesn't notice, but I highly doubt that)

 

There is too much risk to me just thinking about it. 

 

You should stop allowing them to wear uniforms or somehow prove in a risk analysis that there is no potential for contamination to your product or the food contact area.

At our company, employees going out to smoke in their breaks had to wear a coat/jacket as a minimum over their uniform. With the advent of issue 5 we now insist on employees removing their uniform top (T shirts) & wearing their own to smoke in the designated smoking area outside. Same applies in the canteen at break times.

Hi Robert, As i tell my team - if in dowt do a risk assessment. There are many factors that can have an effect, what do you do? High Risk? Low Risk? Personal or work uniform? Internal environment?  Certainly i would remove hairnets and disposable jackets if you wear them for example as its good practice to. Washing hands is a definate Yes.

 

DW