Hello! (first time posting!)
My company is wanting to add an outdoor eating area as an option for breaks and lunches.
The code states: 11.3.10.3 Where outside eating areas are provided, they should be kept clean and free from waste materials and maintained in a manner that minimizes the potential for introduction of contamination including pests to the site.
With this guidance listed: The supplier may provide additional outdoor lunchroom facilities (e.g., picnic tables) where they do not pose a dust or pest hazard to the processing area of the site. Covered facilities and sealed paths are one way to address these hazards. Where hazards presented by such facilities are minimal, the supplier may employ alternative controls such as routine cleaning of tables and steps to minimize dust on non-sealed paths. Foot baths also provide another means to ensure that foot traffic does not bring dust or other contaminants into the processing area, if practical to do so.
We have a concrete area outside of the production employee entrance where we would like to place a few picnic tables. Should routine sanitation and cleaning logs be enough to show we are minimizing risk? The entrance back into the building has two sets of doors before you enter a halway into the building and then a very long hallway before you enter the production area through another (third) set of doors.
Currently we allow employees to go to their cars on their breaks in the parking lot so I don't see this as being any more unsafe than that. Do any of you have experience with this issue?
I don't want to create a problem here but it would be nice for our employees when the weather is this pretty to be able to sit (socially distanced) outside.
Thank you so much!