Identify cleaning, sanitising and maintenance requirements
In your food handling role, not only are you responsible for following correct procedures when storing, preparing and serving food, but you also have a responsibility for reporting non-conformances – instances when you notice that something needs to be cleaned, sanitised or maintained.
Any issue that may pose a risk of contamination or bacterial growth must be promptly addressed to protect customers and consumers of food products.
You may identify these requirements from a variety of methods. You may:
➢ Visibly see a need for equipment, surfaces or utensils to be cleaned, sanitised or maintained (e.g. a utensil may be broken; a surface may be visibly dirty; etc.)
➢ Check records and documents which show that cleaning, sanitising or maintenance activities have not been performed correctly or at the appropriate time
➢ Attempt to use equipment, surfaces and utensils and find that there are flaws or malfunctions (e.g. a device may require recalibration or repair, etc.), or that required resources are unavailable.
In all of these situations, in order to ensure food safety, it is essential to report these non-conformances to your line manager or supervisor if you are unable to rectify the situation yourself. In some cases, you may identify some minor cleaning is required and you may carry that out yourself. However, it is possible that it’s actually someone else’s responsibility to complete the cleaning and so you should report this to your manager.
Reporting procedure
All breaches of cleaning, sanitising and maintenance requirements must be reported according to organisational policy and procedure. You should ensure that you know the correct format in which to submit a report, and how and to whom any reports must be submitted.
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Activity 5C
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5.4 – Dispose of or report chipped, broken or cracked eating, drinking or food handling utensils
Dangerous utensils
Chipped, broken or cracked utensils pose a number of potential hazards. They can:
➢ Cause injury to the person using them
(e.g. a chipped glass can cut the person
drinking from it; etc.)
➢ Harbour contaminants.
Depending on your organisation’s procedures and the responsibilities of your role, you may be required to dispose of chipped, broken or cracked utensils, or you may be required to report them to your line manager.
Utensils may include those used by diners in your establishment or those used in food preparation areas.
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Activity 5D
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5.5 – Take measures within scope of responsibility to ensure food handling areas are free from animals and pests and report incidents of animal or pest infestation
Legal requirements
According to the Code, a food business must:
➢ Not permit live animals in areas where food is handled (other than seafood or other fish or shellfish)
➢ Only permit assistance animals in areas used by customers
➢ Take all practicable measures to prevent pests entering the food premises, and eradicate and prevent the harbourage of pests on the food premises and those parts of vehicles that are used to transport food.
Pests and animals contaminate food with harmful bacteria and can cause serious damage to food and the physical environment in the premises.
You should check your responsibilities for ensuring that food preparation areas are free from pests and animals. For example, you may be required to conduct a weekly visual check for any damaged food or packaging, droppings, dead insects and egg cases.
Most pests are active during the night so you are unlikely to see live insects or rodents during the day. It is important that food is stored off the floor and slightly away from the wall to make it difficult for pests to access the food and to enable checks to be conducted.
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Animals and pests
The following gives guidance on the most common pests and animals that can cause problems in food preparation areas.
Cockroaches
Cockroaches carry diseases that can be transferred to food or customers.
If there are cockroaches in your premises, a food business should:
➢ Call in expert operators to treat the premises for cockroach infestation
➢ Stop all food preparation
➢ Put all foodstuffs away in sealed containers
➢ Thoroughly clean premises
➢ After specialist treatment, vacuum up all dead cockroaches, droppings, shells and egg cases
➢ After cleaning, continue to check problem areas daily for evidence of dead or alive cockroaches
➢ Repeat the process approximately one month later as egg cases can be resistant to treatment
➢ Thoroughly ventilate the premises.
Ants
Ants spoil food with their visible presence and odour. They can be controlled with bait stations which attract ants and then they can be disposed of.
Flies
Flies carry many diseases on their bodies and in their saliva.
Flies can be prevented from entering food preparation areas by the following:
➢ Fly-screens on windows and doors
➢ Electronic fly killing devices
➢ Approved pest control firms treating ceilings,
walls and around waste storage areas
➢ Ensure waste is managed correctly
➢ Keep food covered.
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Moths or weevils
Moths or weevils destroy grains, flour and dried food products so:
➢ Clean up flour and other dried ingredient spills around the floor edges and behind equipment daily
➢ Keep flour bags, and other dry ingredients’ containers and bulk butter and lard containers sealed and in clean condition.
Birds
Birds carry many diseases on their bodies and in their droppings.
They can be prevented from coming into contact with food and food preparation areas by:
➢ Bird proof roosting and nesting areas
➢ Removing waste material
➢ Blocking potential entry points.
Rodents
Rodents cause considerable loss through damage, spoilage and contamination so:
➢ Prevent rodents from gaining access by sealing off gaps
➢ Keep yard areas clean and tidy
➢ Maintain an effective control program or contract a reputable pest management service.
Many of these controls are not likely to form part of your day-to-day duties, but it is important to be aware of the wider implications of pests and animals compromising food safety and some of the specific measures which should be in place to prevent animal contamination.
Remember: If you notice any evidence of animals or pests entering any areas where food or waste is stored or handled, you must report this to your line manager immediately as the safety of the food is at risk.
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Activity 5E
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- Dispose of food safely
6.1. Mark and separate from other foodstuffs any food identified for disposal until disposal is complete
6.2. Dispose of food promptly to avoid cross-contamination
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