Premises, Equipment and Pest Control
Layout and construction
Premises should support one-way flow from receiving to dispatch, with separate raw and ready-to-eat zones. Floors, walls and ceilings should be smooth, impervious, washable and coved; lighting should be protected; ventilation should avoid condensation drips. Drainage must flow away from high-risk areas and have traps. Handwash basins with soap, disposable towels and waste bins belong at zone entrances and after toilet use.
Equipment
Food-contact equipment should be food-grade, non-absorbent, corrosion-resistant and easy to dismantle and clean. Stainless steel is preferred; wooden boards and cracked plastics are hard to sanitise. Thermometers and weighing scales need calibration and a cleaning routine.
Pest control
Use integrated pest management: exclusion through door seals, screens and mesh; sanitation to remove food and water; waste management; and monitoring with bait stations, glue boards and pheromone traps. Bait stations should be outside or in non-food areas, secured and mapped. Records should show sightings, treatments and trends.
Worked example
A 2 cm gap under a storeroom door has rodent droppings nearby. Reasoning: proof the gap with a brush strip or metal kick plate, remove the food source, set monitored bait stations outside the room, and record the finding. Do not place poison bait in a production area.
Traps
Relying on ultrasonic repellents alone; placing bait stations beside open food; ignoring condensation as a contamination source; using wooden pallets against walls.