Machinery Lubrication magazine published by Noria Corporation
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/875060
Based on the U.S. Department of Agri- culture's "Guidebook for the Preparation of HACCP Plans," chemical hazards fall into two categories: naturally occurring poisons, chemicals or deleterious substances that are natural constituents of foods and are not the result of environmental, agricul- tural, industrial or other contamination; and added poisons, chemicals or delete- rious substances that are intentionally or unintentionally added to foods at some point in growing, har vesting, storage, processing, packing or distribution. This second group of chemicals can include lubricants, cleaners, paints and coatings. The U.S. Depar tment of Agriculture stresses the importance of being aware of chemical hazards at the following points: prior to receiving chemicals at your facility, upon receiving chemicals, at any point where a chemical is used during processing, during the storage of chemicals, during the use of any cleaning agents or maintenance chemicals, prior to shipment of the finished product, and in trucks used to ship the finished product. Once the types of hazards and how they occur have been identified, it is possible to conduct an analysis for each process and/or product to be covered under your HACCP plan. This plan should be as specific to each individual facility as possible. Separate the analysis into two activities: brainstorming and risk assessment. Also, if one does not already exist, develop a process flow diagram to identify each step in the process. This may include a walkdown of the facility, starting at the raw material delivery stage and continuing through to loading of the finished product. The hazard analysis can be divided into three steps: First, ensure that the prerequisite sanitation standard operating procedures and others are in place, and evaluate your oper- ation for hazards. Next, observe the actual operating practices. Finally, assess the likeli- hood and severity of the hazard's occurrence. The analysis should allow for the identifi- cation of all significant biological, chemical and physical hazards for each step and each ingredient. You then will need to identify measures to prevent these hazards from compromising the safety of the finished product. These measures may include using only approved chemicals, such as food- grade lubricants, having detailed product specifications for chemicals entering the plant, inspecting trucks used to ship the f inished product, properly labeling and storing all chemicals, and training employees who handle chemicals. Critical Control Points A critical control point is defined as "a point, step or procedure in a food process at which a control can be applied and, as a result, a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable levels." After the hazards and preventive measures have been determined, it is possible to identify the points in the process where the preventive measures can be applied to prevent, eliminate or reduce the hazard to an acceptable level. Critical Limits for Critical Control Points A critical limit is defined as "the maximum or minimum value to which a physical, PERSPECTIVE 55% of MachineryLubrication.com visitors use food-grade lubricants at their plant, according to a recent survey