Maintain workplace food safety standards in food and drink operations

This standard is about the skills and knowledge needed for you to maintain workplace food safety standards in food and drink and animal feed operations. It is important to keep your workplace clean and hygienic. It is also essential to maintain the quality and food safety of the final product.

You will need to be able to keep the workspace clean. You also need to show you can work in a way that keeps food safe. You will need to know and understand the importance of minimising the risks of product contamination, cross-contamination and food poisoning, pests and infestation, storage and disposal of waste.

It is important to understand the additional food safety standards for high care food and drink manufacturing and processing.

This standard is for you if you work in food and drink operations and your job requires you to enter a food manufacturing or processing or an animal feed production area.

Keep the workspace clean

1. keep your immediate work area clean and tidy in accordance with organisational requirements

maintain and store tools, utensils and equipment in a hygienic condition and in accordance with organisational procedures

3. keep ingredients and products separate and in their assigned places in accordance with organisational requirements

Work in a way that keeps food safe

4. hygienically dispose of food waste in accordance with organisational requirements

avoid product contamination and cross-contamination at all stages of processing operations in accordance with organisational requirements

6. deal with product contamination and cross-contamination in accordance with organisational requirements

handle and process items that may cause allergic reactions in accordance with organisational requirements

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1. how personal hygiene and behaviour affects the safety of food produced by the organisation
2. the different food safety tolerances in the manufacture of food suitable for human and that for animal consumption
3. the diseases that are required to be reported in accordance with legislation
4. why it is important to treat and cover cuts, boils, skin infections and grazes and how to do so in accordance with organisational requirements
5. how food handling practices affect food safety in the workplace
6. how the methods and frequency of cleaning and maintenance of equipment, surfaces and environment affects food safety in the workplace
7. the main types of pests and infestation that may pose a risk to the organisation and the food or drink being produced there
8. how pest infestations can occur and the signs that indicate that an infestation has taken place
9. how pest infestation can be prevented
10. the types of product contamination and cross-contamination and how they can occur
11. how to prevent or minimise the risk of cross contamination during all stages of the manufacturing process
12. the types of food poisoning and how food poisoning organisms can contaminate food
13. the symptoms of food poisoning
14. the factors that enable the growth of food poisoning organisms
15. why food needs to be kept at specified temperatures and how to check this
16. the causes of food spoilage, how to recognise it and what to do if food spoilage is discovered
17. the relevant documentation that should be used to record potential food hazards