Pest Control and Premises/Equipment Design
Pests - rodents, cockroaches, flies, birds and stored-product insects - are a major source of contamination and a sign of poor premises design. Candidates must know the signs of pest activity: droppings, gnaw marks, grease trails, egg cases, live or dead insects, feathers, and disturbed packaging. Understand why premises must be pest-proofed: self-closing doors, door sweeps, fly screens, sealed gaps and pipe entry points, and mesh over vents.
Know the design principles that make premises easy to clean and pest-resistant: smooth, impervious, washable surfaces; coving between walls and floors; equipment raised on legs or sealed to the floor; no crevices; adequate lighting and ventilation; and separate areas for raw and ready-to-eat work. Waste must be stored in lidded, pest-proof bins and removed regularly.
Understand the pest control programme: regular inspections, monitoring stations, a licensed contractor where required, records of visits and treatments, and safe storage of baits and pesticides away from food. Pesticides are chemicals and must never contaminate food - bait stations must be secured and sited away from food areas.
Traps: questions test why a design feature matters (coving = prevents dirt traps and pest harbourage) and whether a control is premises design or operational practice. Watch for the trap that poisoning is the first response - the priority is prevention and proofing, then monitoring, then treatment. Also note that a pest sighting is a corrective action trigger requiring records.
Rule of thumb: If you can see a gap wider than a pencil, a mouse can get through - proof it.