/ Broken glass Incident
Standard operating procedure / Form O-P20 /
Page 3 of 3 /
Issued on:
Issued by: / Version No: 1
Supersedes: / Revised: /
PURPOSE: This procedure applies when an incident of broken glass is discovered within the plant (all areas except the offices). Broken glass is an extremely dangerous foreign material and any incident involving it must be investigated thoroughly.
PERSON RESPONSIBLE / FREQUENCY / MONITORING ACTIVITY / CORRECTIVE ACTIONS / RECORDSQA Designate, Cleaning staff / According to Audit Schedule,
As Required / Daily GMP Audit, Monthly GMP Audit,
Daily Cleaning & Sanitation Checklists / When findings deviate from written standards the QA designate will document findings on the Daily / Monthly GMP Audit Form and notify the General Manager of the deviation.
Short term action will be initiated and recorded on the Daily / Monthly GMP audit form. Long term action required, will be discussed by management and corrective actions / responsibilities and time frames will be agreed and documented. / Daily GMP Audit, Monthly GMP Audit,
Daily Cleaning & Sanitation Checklists
EQUIPMENT & CHEMICALS: Broom, brush, dustpan, Hold Tags.
NOTE: Broom & dustpan labeled “FOR GLASS CLEANUP ONLY” located in the Janitors rooms
PROCEDURE DESCRIPTION:
1. In the event of an incident involving broken glass anywhere in the plant, the immediate area must be secured so that glass fragments are not inadvertently transferred to other areas of the facility.
2. The person discovering the broken glass must stop their work (shut down equipment if necessary) and notify the Production Manager, Production Supervisor or Quality Control Manager or Quality Assurance Technician immediately.
3. The Manager, Supervisor or Technician will determine the risk to the operations and how to proceed with cleaning.
4. If a metal-halide or florescent bulb falls from its fixture, the radius of risk is assumed to be double the height of the fixture above the floor. For example, if a bulb drops 10 feet, the minimum area to be secured should be a circle with a 20-foot radius. The person investigating may broaden the area of risk at their discretion. If broken glass is discovered in contact with food ingredients received into the plant, a complete shutdown of all operations using that ingredient must occur immediately.
5. If glass is broken atop a packing line, the line must be shut down immediately and the following steps taken:
a. All personnel are to stop working on the line affected. Examine your clothing and hair coverings for fragments of glass (if necessary). Change your uniform if you suspect contamination with glass particles.
b. With the assistance of an Investigator (Supervisor, Q.C. etc.) tag all finished goods, packaging materials and bags / containers / totes of ingredients affected with a HOLD tag (see HOLD procedure). Remove these to the hold area.
c. Clean the line from the top and move downward, removing as much of the visible fragments as possible. Do not sweep large, visible fragments onto the floor where they break into smaller pieces – collect in a dustpan.
d. Quality Control will examine all materials on HOLD and decide disposition. Any material that is suspect is to be disposed of as non-food grade scrap.
e. The investigator is to examine the packing line and ensure that the sanitation steps were adequate.
f. The investigator is to complete an Incident form and copy to the Operations and Quality Assurance managers.
6. If glass is discovered in contact with food product or food-contact materials the following steps must be taken:
a. All personnel are to stop working on the line affected (if applicable).
b. With the assistance of an Investigator (Supervisor, Q.C. etc.) tag all materials affected with a HOLD tag (see HOLD procedure). Remove these to the hold area.
c. Quality Control will examine all materials on HOLD and decide disposition. Any material that is suspect is to be disposed of as non-food grade scrap.
c. The investigator is to complete an Incident form and copy to the Operations and Quality Assurance managers.
7. If glass is discovered in the facility where no risk to food or food-contact surfaces is suspected, it should be cleaned up immediately and the incident recorded in the Glass & Brittle Plastics Breakages Log