SQT Blog

The Health and Safety Authority on its website has asked the Irish healthcare sector to submit case studies in relation to three work related accident triggers. These are:
– Manual handling (which incorporates patient handling work activities);
– Slips, trips and falls; and
– Work related violence and aggression.

They state the aim is for people within the healthcare sector to share their knowledge, practical experiences and insights, and illustrate that solutions do exist to these occupational health and safety challenges. The HSA plan to publish the case studies that illustrate the best solutions to health and safety challenges on its website.

More information here.

Management commitment as defined by the FDA within any FBO, (Food Business Operator), is the framework which must be created whereby food safety can be seamlessly implemented at factory floor level. The following is how the FDA measure management commitment when undertaking food safety inspection audits.

The senior management of participating firms should provide a clear and visible commitment to the HACCP study. The firm may demonstrate this commitment by the following activities:
– Appointing a HACCP Administrator
– Providing adequate authority and resources to HACCP Team/Participants
– Implementing prerequisite programs
– Implement HACCP plan

HACCP Administrator
The HACCP Administrator should be trained in HACCP principles and acknowledged as responsible for oversight of the HACCP program. The HACCP administrator’s duties during a study include the following:
– Leading the HACCP team and ensuring all training requirements are identified / met
– Confirming that the prerequisite programs are in place
– Validating the HACCP system on behalf of the firm
– Performing periodic audits of the HACCP plan to confirm that the plan is being fully implemented. (verification)
– Ensuring that the HACCP system continues to be representative of actual operating conditions by making necessary changes to conform with alterations to the plant, process or product; (review)

Skills required by HACCP Administrator and HACCP Team
The HACCP Administrator/ HACCP Team needs to have a thorough understanding of:
– Performance of a hazard analysis and determination of critical control points;
– Requirements for prerequisite programs
– Preparation and implementation of a HACCP plan in the establishment; and
– Verification that the HACCP plan has been successfully implemented, including a timeframe for revalidation

Training of Line Employees
Line employees and floor staff should be trained such that they understand their specific functions and duties; and how these are to be performed under a HACCP system/plan. At a minimum
– The importance of the critical control points for which they are responsible
– The critical limits associated with a given CCP
– The procedures for monitoring these critical limits
– The corrective actions to be taken if there are deviations from the critical limits; and
– The records that are to be kept

Reading the latest NEBOSH newsletter, it is interesting to note that the International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety has overtaken the National General Certificate when it comes to annual registrations.

According to NEBOSH between April 2011 and 2012, there were 40,775 registrations to sit units of the NEBOSH International General Certificate compared to 37,426 for the National General Certificate.

The International Certificate course syllabus covers International legal frameworks and codes of practice.

The National Certificate is based on UK legislation.

Both courses are offered in Ireland. It is advisable for prospective attendees to consider carefully which course – International Certificate or a National suits them best.

Here at SQT we present the International Certificate course and we also add in Irish legislation. Our choice of course is in response to market demand. According to our research, the international course seems to best suit Irish attendees. Our next course commences commences on Monday 8th October. The link below includes the full brochure.

NEBOSH International General Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety

As an auditor one must always challenge oneself as to how effectively I can gather data or information pertaining to a company’s Food Safety Management System within a defined and limited time-frame. As the majority of audits are currently announced for operational and logistical reasons, it is reasonable to assume that manufacturing facilities may put on a ‘bit of a show’ for the auditor. I believe that information is gathered only 3 ways:
1 What I read
2 What I see, and
3 What I hear

1 What I read
What I read on the day tells me about the past i.e., can I see your metal detection checks from last Friday? However I believe that paperwork does not make food safe. This does not however suggest in any way that paperwork is not important.

2 What I see
What I see on the day tells me about the present. I will visually observe how clean the manufacturing environment is and will visually observe work practices. This is very important as a means of assessing, can these people achieve best-practice standards on the day of the audit? If they can’t do it to-day, they will never be able to do it, however it does not necessarily mean it is done everyday.

3 What I hear
What I hear on the day tells me about the future which is what most auditors are interested in. Most hazards which result in food poisoning occur due to people not knowing what they are doing due to lack of knowledge or carelessness as they don’t understand the significance of their work. If I, as an auditor, speak to a food handler at factory floor level and he understands the significance of his role in relation to hazard control, it is reasonable of the auditor to infer that the task will be done correctly in the future. My greatest concerns arise when I speak to production and engineering personnel and they do not appreciate their roles and responsibilities.

Hence knowledge and understanding of hazard control at factory floor level is the most importat element of any Food Safety Management System (FSMS) and when it is present, it is the ultimate reflection on a Technical/Quality Manager doing his/her job effectively.