[Copesan University] An Ounce of Prevention

Pest management is a small part of the greater concerns that food processors, food service, hospitality and health care have in regard to bio-security. But by focusing on security-related issues before they choose a pest management service professional, facility managers can take important steps toward protecting security of their facility.

The following are questions that facility managers should ask potential pest management services (show potential accounts this list to show off your skills and capabilities):

• How do you screen your new hires for service positions? Items like criminal background checks, drug screening, driver records, pre-employment physicals and work history should be examined.
• Do you perform personality and/or job screening assessments? These tests reveal people with a higher likelihood of applying pest management measures successfully.
• How do you train new service position hires? A structured, documented training program should exist and be available for examination. 
• What health and safety programs exist in your company? The pest management provider should be able to share written programs in areas such as hazard communication, spill control, personal protection equipment and others that show the pest control company will strive for safety.
• Describe the chain of command in your organization, listing names, employees’ responsibilities and the reporting structure. This provides information for who is responsible for what areas.
• How will you introduce and train your people in my facility? Lead service personnel, their supervisors and backup service personnel should be brought into the facility for an initial pre-startup service meeting and introduction.
• How will you document my service program, and how and where will those records be kept? Hard copy or electronic records should be kept in a central location and available to facility management.

ENSURING SECURITY. Once the service company has been chosen, there are other ways that facility managers can help ensure the security of their facility by requiring that their pest management service company uphold the following recommendations.

Maintain a professional appearance. Individuals who provide pest management services should be dressed in clean, clearly identifiable work clothes, wear a photo ID and show no signs of impaired ability.

Be familiar with unique facility hazards. For example, a food plant generating a lot of dust in its operation creates an explosion hazard, while a glass bottle manufacturing plant will have broken, shattered glass in the facility.

Follow internal personnel controls. If exposure or contamination badges are required of plant personnel in certain areas, then the pest management professional also should comply with that requirement.

Follow special exposure requirements. For instance, individuals working in a medical, research development or production facility should not have been in contact with animals or be ill before arriving for service because they could cause plant contamination.

Be familiar with the facility’s lock out/tag out program. The pest management professional also should be familiar with what areas can’t be accessed without the aid of an electrician or quality control person so he/she doesn’t adversely affect the site.

Be state licensed to apply pesticides. This ensures the person meets the minimum standards of safe pesticide use.

Ensure the pest management program emphasizes the IPM approach. This does not preclude pesticide use but ensures that structural, maintenance and housekeeping issues are addressed. This may result in the reduced reliance and use of pesticides and as a result, less risk and hazard.

Avoid pesticide storage on site. If such storage is necessary, supplies should be in non-leaking, well-marked containers in a well-ventilated, locked area with limited access.

Ensure pesticides are government and state registered for use at the site. Some facilities also have a pre-approved list of products that can be used on their site. If different products are needed, they must be approved before use.

Avoid areas that do not need to be accessed for inspection and/or service. For instance, sterile areas of a pharmaceutical plant that don’t need service should be avoided.

Follow all location rules. If eye and ear protection are required of plant personnel, the pest management professional should also comply with those rules.

Check in and out. Upon arriving at the site, servicing personnel should report in, and on completion, they should check out so the site manager knows when they are on the property.

COMMON SENSE. A lot of these suggestions may sound like common sense, but as the old adage goes: “Common sense is sometimes not so common.” Having written policies in these areas will help your customer’s facility comply with security issues and reduce future security concerns.

The author is technical director, Waltham Services, Waltham, Mass. He can be reached at rberman@giemedia.com.