[Education & Training] Integrating Food Safety and Employee Safety

We have so many programs, policies and procedures that are a way of life in food manufacturing. And so many customers, third-party audit firms and regulatory agencies expect compliance with a variety of standards and regulations. Combined with management structures driven by an economy that demands efficiency, we have very little time, but yet a very strong need to maximize our return on efforts.

One effort is a need to focus on the costs that affect the bottom line. Product waste, quality, overtime, energy costs, and downtime all contribute to a loss in productivity and profit. Another business cost that impacts profit and loss is the amount of time and money spent managing employee injuries and worker compensation.

The food industry shares a common goal to prevent product contamination and maintain food safety. Food companies incorporate preventive prerequisite and food safety programs (HACCP) to avoid quality, adulteration, and consumer safety issues and establish a well understood protocol to avoid these issues. But we also include education and training on a variety of other business concerns. For example, there is a compelling ethical and legal requirement to ensure employees safely perform their tasks. Managers, executive leaders and company owners are responsible for the health and safety of their employees.

But how do we efficiently educate our employees to work safely? I have often felt that we do a disservice to our employees by separating training sessions based on the topic at hand. For example, separating training on safety policies from GMP training gives employees the impression that each activity is independent of the other. This is the wrong message to send. I have witnessed firsthand employees following safety policies when the plant is running well, but as soon as a breakdown occurs, safety practices are sacrificed to avoid downtime.

SO, WHAT IS THE SOLUTION? When providing education, information and training for employees during the GMP orientation, include the relevant safety concepts. This will take a coordinated effort between Food Safety Managers and Employee Safety Managers, but the benefits should be obvious. When employees see the Food Safety Manager and Employee Safety Manager working together, they see a commitment to their safety and health. Employees see firsthand where management’s commitment is and where their priorities are placed. If employees feel their safety and food safety are priorities, they are more likely to see where the company goals and expectations come together on common ground.

HOW DO WE DO THIS? First, develop a strategy that meets the educational needs of food safety and employee safety. It will change and adapt with the issues and changes that occur in the facility. The strategy involves employees, making them a part of the process.

This strategy identifies a job or job function. Start with one of the critical jobs or job functions in the plant and grow the plan from there. Take the job and break it down into its basic functions. List the basic functions in one column on a piece of paper. When you first begin, take a simplified approach. Don’t feel you need to break the job down into every single step the employee takes. In a second column, identify each risk associated with the corresponding task. Identify the GMP, allergen, quality and employee safety risks. Keep this relatively simple and straightforward. Next, identify safe practices and steps needed to avoid identified risks. Use this exercise to become aware of potential issues and to identify how to perform tasks with risk avoidance in mind. Risk avoidance includes risk to the product, employee, equipment and work environment.

Ask an experienced employee to help you with this exercise. The benefits will be two-fold. You will gain first-hand information about their experience and knowledge of the job and you will help them understand the risks and avoidance steps involved. They will then take their participation back to the job. Employees will learn to work safely and produce a safe product without putting certain skills aside when issues occur. This exercise can be used to educate, inform and train employees on a variety of integrated GMP, food safety and employee safety concerns.

Equipment cleaning is one example of integrating food safety and employee safety. The first step is to list the appropriate cleaning chemicals and tools for the job. The risks would likely include chemical control and employee safety hazards. Risk avoidance practices for chemical control hazards would be to ensure the proper chemical (identified), concentration, and application equipment are used. Risk avoidance practices related to employee safety would be to list the health hazards and appropriate personal protective equipment necessary for handling the chemical.

The next job function to list is to remove equipment guarding and parts to properly clean and remove accumulated product, residue, etc. Risks include unexpected equipment startup. The risk avoidance practice would be to lockout or tagout the equipment. A review of the lockout procedure is also appropriate.

The third job function is to clean the equipment. Risks include allergen and microbial control, proper cleaning (GMP), employee safety, and chemical control. The risk avoidance practices would include using personal protective equipment, thoroughly inspecting the equipment after initial cleaning to identify missed areas, and ensuring proper rinsing to remove all chemical residue.

The final job function is to set up the equipment for production. Risks include employee safety, GMPs, allergen control and chemical control. The risk avoidance practices would include replacing all equipment parts (while lockout is still in effect) and guards, testing emergency stop and safety contact switches, ensuring no rags, tools, nuts or bolts remain in the equipment, and inspecting the cleaning to make sure all product and chemical residues have been removed.

Using this exercise to educate and train employees can help you cover a variety of training and hazard assessment requirements at one time. This hands-on training approach is more effective than expecting employees to listen to presentations and then apply what they learn in generic and basic terms to their everyday tasks. Issues and concerns are better understood with specific, hands-on training where the need to follow procedures is clearly pointed out.

MAXIMIZE TRAINING SESSIONS. Every food company wants to keep costs down, avoid product contamination, prevent recalls, avoid consumer illness or injury, and maintain strong customer relationships. The key is to maximize your training sessions. Include employees in the process and tap into their experiences and knowledge. Use an integrated approach to educate new employees and remind the "old timers" of the employee safety and food safety importance of their job performance.

This concept is directly in line with AIB’s I.C.E. concept. First, identify the risks, the safe operating practices, and what can be done to eliminate the risk. The next step is risk control. When controlled, risks can be effectively managed or eliminated; but this cannot be achieved if employees are not aware of the risks and how to avoid them. An integrated approach to GMP, food safety, employee safety and quality training emphasizes the significance for various programs, policies, procedures, rules, regulations, standards, goals and expectations that all employees must comply with.

The author is Head of OSHA Compliance and Educational Product Development, AIB International. To learn more about any of the products or services of AIB International, visit www.aibonline.org, or call 800/633-5137.