[AIB Update] Plant Operations

A successful IPM program requires cooperation between the pest management professional and the food plant.
 

Since the publication of the revised AIB Consolidated Standards for Inspection last year, there have been ongoing questions about the requirement for an annual pest management assessment. How detailed is it supposed to be? Who is qualified to conduct the assessment? Can the facility do the assessment itself? We have never had to do these before, why now?

The requirement to conduct a facility assessment has always been there. How can one claim to practice Integrated Pest Management (IPM) without knowing the full extent of the pest and environmental issues before developing a strategy? AIB simply felt we should point this out as a requirement for any Pest Management Program. It has turned out to be quite revealing.

What this essentially does is bring into question the age old practice of simply measuring linear distance, calculating 20-40 foot intervals for the interior and 50-100 foot intervals on the exterior, to determine equipment needs and price accordingly. This practice has simply been a sale for equipment maintenance that in no way reflects a viable IPM program. In many facilities much more is needed.

There are hours of discussions that can be held to explain why this practice has been ongoing. Some would argue that this is all the food industry will accept. Others would argue that is all they can do. The bottom line is that this approach has been very insufficient to meet the needs of most food companies.

A pest management assessment is simply determining facility conditions, current pest levels, and location of most pest-vulnerable areas. It is designed to gather information so that informed decisions can be made. Neither the pest management provider (PMP), nor the food plant shoulders the full burden for IPM. For the program to be successful, both parties must understand their roles and be committed to having it succeed. Before any of this can occur, an accurate picture of a facility’s challenges and needs must be gained.

THE ASSESSMENT

A good IPM assessment relies on someone with a keen eye trained in IPM having accurate information about the facility. They will need to determine information about the facility and its surroundings. Where is the facility located? What surrounds it that could influence pest populations? What is the facility’s pest activity history? How strong are the prerequisite programs and are they used as a major part of pest management efforts?

To answer these questions and set the IPM partnership, we encourage food facilities to present the following recommendations to their PMPs to provide guidance on meeting AIB’s Consolidated Standards.

A quick drive around the neighborhood will give the PMP a good idea of how the facility environment will affect your program efforts. How well kept are the residential areas? In an industrial site, how well are grounds maintained to eliminate harborage areas? Can you identify any pest breeding sites that will influence your decisions on how you establish the program?

Before the assessment is conducted, meet with facility management to gather the facts. What products do they manufacture? Are there any past or current known pest issues? View a site map to get an idea of plant layout. This can help ensure you do not miss any areas during your assessment. There are two ways to approach the assessment. You can begin with either a documentation review to provide a historical perspective or a physical inspection. Each of these is a fact-finding effort to help shape the IPM program. The more thorough your review, the better your program will be.

The overall assessment should turn a critical eye to the current pest management program, as well as how the facility manages its responsibility for prerequisite program implementation. Both need to be examined for opportunities for improvement. The emphasis should always be on the preventive aspect of the efforts, but do not overlook corrections that need to be made in the current program.

The IPM assessment must include a detailed physical review of the facility. The condition of the structure, personnel practices, and the strength of the sanitation and maintenance programs all have to be reviewed and challenged for the prevention of pest activity. Items of concern might include:

• Openings into the structure (open doors, unsealed pipe penetrations, etc.)
• Stock rotation
• Sanitation levels in the lunch room and locker room
• Operational and sanitation practices maintained throughout processing and warehouse areas
• Condition of the roof areas
• Areas where moisture can collect
• Mold issues that would encourage fungus beetle or psocid activity
• General condition of the grounds

The emphasis of the assessment is to identify and correct any actual pest activity or conditions that would likely lead to their development. One good way to look at situations is the use of what we call the I.C.E. principle of evaluation. In this, the I. stands for Identification of an issue, how it was introduced and to what intensity is it present. The C. represents the immediate corrective action that must be taken to minimize the impact associated with the issue. The E. represents the changes needed in the programs that should be in place to properly manage things so these issues do not exist. This is perhaps the most important aspect because it provides for a long-term solution to the issues noted.

To this point, let’s say you find in the review of the records that two mice have been caught in mechanical trap #17 along the east wall. Your physical inspection reveals that this trap is adjacent to a pedestrian door that has a gap at the bottom. Using the I.C.E. process, you identified an area of rodent activity in the facility near a door in need of repair (I). You assigned a corrective action to remove the mice and repair the door to eliminate the opening (C). Next, you need to examine the exterior and determine if there are conditions encouraging rodent activity along this area of the plant. You might think that would be enough, however, the facility needs to initiate an inspection and repair program for all the doors as a part of the Preventive Maintenance Program to eliminate the opportunity for the events reoccurring (E). You are now managing the environment in a preventive manner.

COOPERATION IS CRITICAL

IPM is a cooperative effort between a contracted PMP and the food plant. It only makes sense that the facility personnel would participate in the review process. Having a facility representative present during the review allows first-hand information to be provided at the time issues are noted. This can save time and lead to correcting issues sooner. The assessment should be viewed as an extension of the educational process for both the contractor and the facility. The information shared about the conditions will help both parties develop a sound strategy to deal with any issues noted.

Documentation of all findings is a must. A closing meeting with facility personnel is important so actions on any significant items noted during the assessment can be initiated. The notes taken serve as a resource for the inspector to draft a detailed report of their findings and the recommendations they feel would benefit the facility. The report should be completed in a timely manner and become part of the pest management documentation retained by the facility. It is always good to keep the remarks simple and convey a very clear message of what you feel is needed. This applies to what you as a contractor need to provide and what improvements you feel the facility should be working toward.

It is anticipated that this program will foster better understanding and cooperation between the IPM provider and facility management. This is an educational process dealing with factual information on what is going on in the facility. Good performance can be recognized and poor performance can be corrected. Ultimately the customers win. AIB

The author is Head of Food Safety Education, AIB International.