Shoe hygiene risk assessment
We are a generally low risk producer of food colors and flavors. We are in the process of setting up a separate storage warehouse which will be in the same industrial park as our main warehouse approx. 1000 yards away. A truck will be used to transport finished products from the main warehouse (production) to the storage facility and vice versa. My question pertains to shoe hygiene. The employees who will be transferred to the storage warehouse will be operating the truck, and also the forklift to load the truck. As a result, they will be outside, and then re entering the storage facility. Given the storage facility is purely for storage and no production is taking place, I am not sure what protocols to put in place to minimize contamination (if any?) I've looked into foot baths, but it seems like overkill given it's just storage. Also I'm skeptical about introducing "wet" into a "dry" environment. I've looked into granular quat which maybe is an option, but I'm leaning mostly towards polypropylene shoe or boot covers. Something they can put on when they are outside and dispose of when they re enter the storage warehouse. Are boot covers such as these a viable choice? I don't see them talked about much.
Addition info: Employees in the main production warehouse are provided with suitable boots that are not to leave the facility. The employees relocated to the storage warehouse will not be entering the production areas at all.
Any suggestions will be helpful. Thank you.
Do the warehouse employees actually have to touch the ground with their feet? or will they just be riding a forklift back and forth?
If they don't have to get out, I don't see why any additional steps need to be taken
If anything, you just need boot scrubbers, like you'd use when gardening at home, to brush debris off the boots IMO
No need to introduce moisture to your dry storage by putting foot baths, it would be redundant. Plus, there's no potential contamination to your stored goods as they're packed, wrapped, etc. Boot covers - are you sure your people would be wearing them going back and forth in and out? From my experience seeing our shippers how fast they need to do their staff - they wouldn't be happy to deal with those cover. The policy should be practical, reasonable and feasible, and not affecting the business.
Do the warehouse employees actually have to touch the ground with their feet? or will they just be riding a forklift back and forth?
If they don't have to get out, I don't see why any additional steps need to be taken
If anything, you just need boot scrubbers, like you'd use when gardening at home, to brush debris off the boots IMO
They will be touching the ground because they will be operating a transport truck which will be the vehicle taking the products back and forth. The forklift will be used also but it will just be used to move the products in and out of the truck.
Boot covers - are you sure your people would be wearing them going back and forth in and out? From my experience seeing our shippers how fast they need to do their staff - they wouldn't be happy to deal with those cover. The policy should be practical, reasonable and feasible, and not affecting the business.
This is a valid point. It will be difficult to assess until things get underway. We are a small company though and I imagine there won't be an insane number of trips back and forth between warehouses.