HABITANTES
9.3. Conclusiones
The 7-Steps of Wet Sanitation
Many techniques and principles exist for cleaning food equipment, including the “7-Steps of Wet Sanitation”. The 7 steps represent general principles of cleaning equipment that lay the foundation of sanitation sequencing to reduce the risk of cross-contamination from sanitation activities. If these principles are used, cleaning procedures should be constructed based on the 7 Steps.
Step 1 - Dry Clean and Secure
• Secure the Room
o Remove remaining ingredients and production supplies from the area o Ensure all water-sensitive areas (e.g., control panels) are cleaned and
covered
o Collect and remove remaining trash o Bring sanitation supplies to the area
o Empty drain baskets and return as necessary
o LOTO- Lock out all equipment requiring disassembly
• Disassemble equipment
o Set up to handle equipment only twice (e.g., racks, stands) o NEVER place food contact equipment directly on floor
• Dry Clean
o Remove gross soils from all equipment and floors o Take care with removal of allergens – Do Not Use Air o Work top down, side-to-side – use best tools for job Step 2 - Pre Rinse
• Remove/rinse visible gross soils (130°F) – personal protective equipment (PPE) required
o Gross soils should be removed to enable the chemical application in step 3 to break down remaining films and clean the surface
• Work top down – one side to the other
• Use squeegees to clean up piles of debris
• Clean debris from drains - bring trash receptacles to drain, not carry drain materials across production areas to the trash receptacles.
Step 3 - Soap and Scour
• Foam/Soap the floors, walls and equipment – PPE required o Work from bottom to top
Foam the floors
Foam the walls
• Minimum of 5 feet from the floor
• Working from bottom to top
Foam the equipment – working from bottom to top.
• After foam/soap is applied, allow 5 – 10 minutes set time
• While soap is setting, scrub surfaces to remove fats, protein films, and/or bio films
• DO NOT ALLOW FOAM/SOAP TO DRY – dry foam supports the development of bio-films
• Clean drains prior to step 4 Step 4 - Rinse and Inspect
• Remove chemical with a flood rinse – No high pressure – PPE required
• Rinse in the order the chemical was applied (floors, walls, equipment)
o Do not spray floors once the post-rinse begins on the equipment to reduce the risk of contamination from aerosols and splashing
• Verify by sight and feel that equipment is 100% free of soils, water beads, hazes, films, and mineral residue
o Use a powerful flashlight Step 5 - Prepare for pre-op
• Run equipment briefly to remove any pooling water
• Verify chemical is removed - visual and pH paper
• Follow LOTO procedures when coming in contact with equipment
• Remove water from ceiling and overheads if applicable
• Re-lubricate where appropriate
• Sanitize parts/components that are not accessible once assembled – PPE
• Remove sanitation outerwear and put on appropriate GMP clothing
• Assemble applicable parts Step 6 - Pre-Operation Inspection
• Complete the pre-operation inspection per plant procedure – LOTO o Use a powerful flashlight
o Should be completed by someone other than the employee(s) performing the cleaning
• Correct all deficiencies and document corrective action
• Conduct micro monitoring per the plant Clean Equipment Swab program. This is NOT the pathogen monitoring swabs. ATP swabs may also be taken at this time.
• Provide constructive feedback to employees conducting the cleaning.
Step 7 - Sanitizing
• Ensure no standing or pooling water before beginning
• Flood-sanitize the equipment at no rinse concentrations – PPE o Follow manufacturer’s label directions
o Use like sanitizers or consult chemical manufacturer to understand the effect if two sanitizers come in contact with one another
o Equipment may need to be run while sanitizing to ensure coverage
• Re-assemble all equipment
• Foam-sanitize the walls (5’ down minimum), then the floors.
• Foam-sanitize the floor using an appropriate sanitizer (e.g., 800 to 1000 ppm Quat sanitizer).
o Target contact time according to product label (e.g., 10 minutes for Quat).
o Do not rinse with water. Allow to drain and air dry.
o Work your way out of the room
• Squeegee pooling sanitizer to drain
• Release line to production or maintenance
Appendix 13
Examples of Sanitation and Good Housekeeping Practices
Water Handling Water should not be splashed from the floor or from unclean equipment onto cleaned equipment or processes during operation.
Water from cleaning operations in one area should be prevented from flowing into areas where product is being produced.
Sanitary Handling of Sanitation Tools and Equipment
To prevent product contamination, certain tools and equipment should be used only for the intended purpose, dedicated to these specific uses, and handled and/or stored separately. For example, tools and equipment used, dedicated, handled and/or stored:
● In raw areas
● In ready-to-eat areas
● According to allergen control programs
● According to color code programs
Gaskets Handling Gaskets should be handled and stored in a sanitary manner:
● Product-contact gaskets should be cleaned or replaced at a defined frequency.
● Used or damaged/worn gaskets should be discarded to prevent inadvertent later use.
● New gaskets should be washed before use.
● Clean gaskets should be stored in a designated sanitary container.
Cleaning and Handling of Product Equipment
Cleaned equipment should be handled in a manner that maintains its sanitary condition and that prevents damage, including:
• Cleaned equipment, parts, cleaning aids/tools, etc., should not be placed directly on walking surfaces. Examples of sanitary storage include placement on sanitary rubber mats designated by color for their intended use or on designated sanitary carts or racks.
• Cleaned equipment should not be dragged across the floor or walking surfaces.
• Clean parts should not be stored in unclean containers.
• Clean parts should not be stored with dirty parts.
Sanitary Mats Designated sanitary mats should be handled to maintain sanitary conditions, including:
• The mats should not be stepped on. One side of the mat should be marked to distinguish between the floor contact side and the container or part contact side. An “X” or color-coding can be used for this purpose.
• When not in use, mats should be stored off of the floor in a manner that allows them to dry (e.g., on a hanger designed to hold mats).
Note: Rubber mats used for employee comfort at workstations should be distinguishable (e.g., by color) from sanitary mats.
Good Housekeeping General Do’s and Don’ts
• Avoid spillage and damage to product by careful handling.
• Maintain bagged product in a neat and orderly manner.
• Avoid product overhang on pallets.
• Damaged bags or drums should be immediately sealed to prevent product spillage and contamination.
• Contaminated ingredients should not be used.
• Littering or practices that cause poor housekeeping or other unsanitary conditions should be prohibited.
• All waste and refuse should be placed in trash containers, which should be labeled as “trash” or otherwise identified by specific plant programs and training.
• Trash containers should be maintained in a sanitary condition by using liners and/or routine cleaning of the containers.
Accessories Brought into Production Area
Radios, cameras, televisions, cell phones, books, and magazines should not be allowed in production areas unless permitted by local policies.
Other areas where these items are allowed should be defined by site-specific rules.
Live plants, flowers, or animals should not be brought into:
• Production areas
• Production area offices
• Corridors opening directly into production areas
• Areas connected by a common air supply to production Preventing Aerosols
on Finished Product and Product Contact Surfaces
Near sanitized equipment and in areas of exposed finished product, water hoses or compressed air hoses should not be used to clean the floor or equipment due to the formation of aerosols.
Use of high-pressure water greater than 100 psi/7 bar should be restricted to use 2 hours prior to sanitizing and should not be used during operation.
Appendix 14