Keep It Clean!

Pest management professionals working in food plants have a great responsibility: to prevent pest contamination of their clients’ products. But they also have to keep another important responsibility in mind: using proper care so that they themselves do not contaminate products.

At the Purdue Pest Management Conference in January, Pat Hottel, technical director of McCloud Services, Hoffman Estates, Ill., gave a presentation about the pest management professional’s role in food safety, and stressed that they need to be aware of the impact they can have at food plants and other production facilities.

Hottel said pest management professionals already are well aware of the diseases carried by pests, but they might not always think about the negative impacts their presence and that of their equipment could have on their accounts.

She stressed the importance of using clean equipment — and keeping technicians clean. McCloud, which does 75 percent of its business in food plants and related businesses, has rules that dictate that anything the company’s technicians bring into a sensitive account must be as clean as or cleaner than the environment it’s to be used in. That means no muddy boots, wearing clean uniforms and keeping a fresh set of gloves on at all times.

“We don’t expect the technicians to steam clean the equipment each service — unless for some reason this was a client requirement — but make it at least as dust-free, dirt-free or clean as the area it is in,” Hottel said. “So even if the client does not require hair restraints for vendors in a food service facility like a deli or bakery, we would wear a hat as a minimum.”

SERVICE TIPS. Hottel said different accounts will have different standards of service, but there are some basic standards that apply across the board.

Scheduling. Work at the most at-risk accounts at the beginning of the day: Start at the baby-food plant, then go to the pork processing facility and then start your residential spraying jobs.

Work order. At each food plant, work from finished products to raw materials. This will ensure technicians don’t track certain allergens — such as peanuts, wheat or dairy — into areas they aren’t supposed to be in. If allergens get into places they shouldn’t, it could mean a recall for the client, and a loss of an account for the pest management company.

“The cookie manufacturing client may have allergen free zones,” she said. “We need to make sure that the tech isn’t compromising their allergen policies by visiting a peanut production facility before visiting that cookie manufacturer.”
Equipment. Hottel suggests technicians keep a box of anti-microbial wipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer with them at all times. This way, they can make sure their hands — as well as their clipboards, PDAs and flashlights — are clean enough to enter into a processing facility. And, she stressed, pest management professionals shouldn’t set their equipment on any surface in the plant; food preparation areas in plants require serious sanitation.

COMMON SENSE. Hottel said many of the things technicians should keep in mind are common sense: wear a clean uniform every day, keeping their hands clean, etc. But she also recommended they keep some of the following in mind as they service these special accounts.

Vehicle maintenance. Hottel stressed the importance of keeping company vehicles locked and secured at all times. This allows technicians to keep tabs on all the chemicals — which are possible contaminants — they came to the job site with. She also said companies should not sell pesticides to their clients; application by someone other than a technician could lead to legal problems down the road.

Bait stations and traps. Proper maintenance of rodent bait stations and insect light traps is important to keep the account both sanitary and secure. Work with the client and suggest any insect light traps have shatter-resistant bulbs to prevent glass contamination, and make sure they aren’t dropping insect parts into the food product.

Also, technicians should alert the client to any baits they are using that could contain potential allergens, including peanut butter and sardines.

EDUCATION COMES FIRST. McCloud’s training program starts in a classroom setting, where the reasons for food safety requirements are stressed along with the important role the technician plays in protecting the food supply. The training is then reinforced with field exercises and continuing education courses.

All in all, Hottel said, the most important component of successful pest management at a food plant is good communication between the technician and the client’s QA manager. Technicians should familiarize themselves with Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) and their role in this.

“Physically showing the client any critical issues that relate to a pest problem is always better than simply telling them,” she said. “Showing the QA manager a specific sanitation or structural issue helps reduce miscommunication and helps emphasizes the importance of this problem because the technician took the time to show the client.”

And, she said, both sides should work together to develop a list of approved treatment options and any possible sources of contamination — from pests or the pest management professional.

The author is assistant editor of PCT magazine.