Training Program



Training Program

The training provided by this plant to its employees consists of the following:

A. Employee Hygiene and Good Food Handling Practices

B. Technical Training

A. Employee Hygiene and Good Food Handling Practices

a. All employees annually receive a minimum 30-minute presentation from the shift supervisor utilizing the following information:

i. Policy – Employee Practices

ii. Food Hazards – Biological, Chemical, Physical

iii. Communicable Diseases

iv. Job Descriptions

b. All employees are required to sign the EMPLOYEE GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES COMMITMENT form which is kept on file.

B. Technical Training

a. Employees are given on-site training by the employer.

b. Employees have access to Standard Operating Procedures applying to their work.

c. Equipment technical manuals are available for reference for employees working with complex equipment.

TRAINING PROGRAM

A. Employee Practices

1. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS

Our goal is to produce a food product that is safe for our customers. Employees will comply with the provincial health guidelines and Workers Compensation Board standards as well as CFIA guidelines on general conduct for food manufacturing plants.

Employees will be instructed on proper hygiene, behaviour, work safety, general housekeeping and production rules while in the plant. Experienced supervisors and quality control personnel along with charge hands will enforce all regulations to minimize potential sources of contamination.

All employees are required to be ready for work at their assigned location when their shift starts. Tardiness will not be tolerated.

2. PERSONAL HYGIENE AND PRACTICES

Employees must wear hairnets when entering the production facility. Hairnets must be worn over the ears to ensure all hair is covered. Beard nets are to be used where required (supplied by employer).

All employees must wear short or long sleeve shirts and full trousers. All employees must wear closed toe shoes. Employees must wear aprons (supplied by employer).

Rubber gloves may be worn when the food product is being handled (employer will provide gloves). Employees having hand contact with the food product must immerse their gloved hands into a disinfectant solution prior to entering the production area. This will avoid contamination from other areas of the plant.

Jewellery (except for medical bracelets), smoking, gum, food or drink is prohibited in all areas where food is handled.

3. WORK SAFETY

The Workers Compensations Board regulations shall be followed at all times. Proper footgear suited for your job must be worn. (e.g.: approved CSA steel toed foot wear when working with filled barrels).

Improper behaviour will not be tolerated. Safety of workers is of extreme importance and must be practiced at all times. Yield right of way to product movement.

EMPLOYEE GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES

Personal Hygiene & Health Requirements

1. All employees must wash their hands before starting work, after handling contaminated materials, breaks or lunch periods, and after using washroom facilities. Where necessary to minimize microbiological contamination, employees shall use disinfectant (hand dips).

2. Employees are required to report for work in clean, sanitary clothing and maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness. When uniforms are supplied, they should be worn and also kept clean. Storing clothing or other personal items in the production area will not be permitted. Uniforms should not be worn when eating food or during breaks.

3. No sleeveless garments are allowed. No fuzzy clothing will be permitted in the plant. Open toed shoes, sandals, thongs, clogs and/or moccasins are not allowed in the plant. Shirts or blouses shall be buttoned, except for the collar button, and shall cover the waist. Fingernails shall be trimmed and clean. Use of fingernail polish is prohibited unless gloves are worn.

4. All loose or exposed hair shall be contained by a hair net. Beards and goatees shall be covered by a beard net. Ear plugs not secured by a cord shall be covered by a hair net.

5. Jewellery unless specifically authorized shall not be allowed (wedding bands with no stones or medical alert tags which can not be removed may be worn but shall be covered. Rings of any other sort shall not be allowed. Hair curlers, bobby pins, combs, ribbons, etc, of any kind shall not be worn in the plant.

6. Any behaviour that could result in contamination of food, such as eating or drinking, use of tobacco, chewing gum or candy, shall be prohibited in food handling areas. Any unhygienic practices such as spitting shall not be tolerated. All eating in the plant is to be confined to the lunchrooms. Sampling of product as part of a job assignment shall be done within the confines of authorized areas.

7. All glass containers are prohibited in food handling areas. Pens, tools, earplugs, cigarettes, etc. shall not be carried in the upper shirt pockets.

8. Employees must be in a healthy condition when they report to work. All employees must inform supervisor of any employee suffering from, or known to be carriers of a disease transferable through food. Employees with sores or boils on hands, arms or face must be cleared by their supervisor before being permitted to work. Cuts or abrasions must be report to first aid, and must be covered with a secure waterproof covering (glove).

9. Visitors are to report to office, and must be accompanied by authorized personnel in order to prevent cross contamination to the product.

By signing, I acknowledge that I have received the training provided by my employer and will comply with the requirements as outlined above. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action.

Signed:___________________ Date: _______________ Witnessed by: _______________

Print name:__________________ Trainer

ii. Food Safety Principles

Why manage food safety?

The safety of our food supply is critical to the well-being of people eating our food products. The freedom to be without disease is a condition that people cherish. The absence of illness- or injury-causing organisms, chemicals and physical hazards in food is something that people expect. The food processor is responsible for the mass production of large quantities of food. It is, therefore, important that the premises, ingredients and processes do not introduce these hazards into food. Scientific principles must be employed to develop a system to manage the safe production of food. This cannot be achieved by trial-and-error and requires proper management and diligence by the food processor. Traditional practices of food production and distribution are changing to where foods produced in one region are distributed across provinces, regions and nations. Essentially fewer centrally processing plants are producing for wider area (large volume). Therefore, one-day’s production of unsafe foods produced could be distributed to multiple regions and nations- resulting in huge product recalls.

Biological Hazards

Biological hazards may be insects or parasites (usually visible to the un-aided eye) or micro-organisms. The micro-organisms (requiring the use of microscopes to view) are bacteria, fungi or protozoa, and viruses. (see the “Bad Bug” info on )

Viral diseases that can be transmitted through food include: polio, hepatitis A, and inflammation of the stomach or intestines. Viruses are usually transmitted by contamination by feces. Fecal contamination can occur directly when someone fails to wash his/her hands after defecating or when water is contaminated by sewage.

Protozoa can be found in contaminated drinking water or in raw meat that is not cooked properly. Giardia and Cryptosporidium are often found in drinking water while Cyclospora infections usually occur in cases of traveller’s diarrhea. Chlorination does not inactivate the resting stages of Giardia and Cryptosporidia.

Fungi that produce toxins are also hazards. Aflatoxin found in peanuts (produced by Aspergillus spp.) is an example of a mycotoxin. Patulin can be found in apples that have been attacked by mold.

Bacteria usually create hazards because of the toxins they produce. Some produce toxins in the food before it is eaten while others create toxins when it is ingested. Some examples are Staphylococcus aureus (produces a heat-stable toxin) and Bacillus cereus that produce toxins in the food while Salmonella produces a toxin in the body.

Cross-contamination from raw to cooked foods is a common pathway. Other bacteria are transmitted by the fecal/oral route. Growth of bacteria in food before consumption or growth in the body to sufficiently large numbers is important in causing food-borne disease.

Communicable disease is a disease that is easily transferred from one person to another. Some of the communicable diseases that are passed on through food include: Hepatitis A and Norwalk virus. An example of a case with Hepatitis A was a food handler at Capers store in Vancouver where several people got sick. The Norwalk virus was the disease in a number of cruise ships going to Alaska. If a person is ill with a communicable disease, that person should not be near food or people that are handling food. The person with communicable disease must contact the supervisor so that product is not contaminated. The person will be excused from work or will be assigned to work that will not cause harm to the food.

Chemical Hazards

Chemical hazards are those that create a hazard because of reaction caused by a chemical agent. Examples of chemical agents can include:

• Pesticides (from agricultural products, through the food chain, or pest control products)

• Cleaning agents and sanitizers

• Oils and greases (from hydraulic systems, gear and chain drives, etc.)

• Processing aids (e.g. caustic, etc.)

• Excessive controlled ingredients (e.g. too much salt, acid)

• Toxins from bacteria are sometimes considered chemical hazards

Physical Hazards

Physical hazards are those that can cause physical injury to a consumer. Examples of physical hazards include:

• Bone fragments

• Glass (from light bulbs, thermometers, windows, mirrors)

• Metal (from equipment, fasteners [screws, nails, bolts, nuts, etc.], shavings

o Ferrous metal is attracted to magnets: Ferrous metal contains iron.

o Non-ferrous metal must be located by a metal detector. Non-ferrous metals include: brass, aluminum, most stainless steel products.

• Wood fragments

• Plastic fragments

• Stones

• Personal effects (such as jewelry, pens, hair clips)

iii. Job Descriptions (examples)

Employee Training Record

|Date of Training |Employee Trained |Topic of Training |Person doing training |

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