Food Processing Plant Sanitation Challenges

Proper sanitation within a food processing plant is key to meeting safety standards. Poor brand reputation due to outbreaks and recalls causes significant challenges to the very best food processing management teams. The problems and solutions are complex … while the fast-changing consumer market demands continually push the limits of manufacturing teams.   

Five Challenges Food Processing Management Teams Face

1- Daily in House Sanitation and Labor Shortages

The daily cleaning of food processing plants is technically challenging. The cleaning must be performed daily and often during the overnight/weekend shifts.  Food processing cleaning requires the use of SSOPs (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures), verification of cleaning, and detailed regulatory reporting. 

At times, even the best in house sanitation teams just do not have enough cleaners to perform the daily operation. Employee turnover, vacations, and illness only make the plant sanitation that much harder. 

Sanitation functions can be compromised further budgetary restraints and tight manufacturing timelines. 

2 – Failure to Follow SSOPs (Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures)

SSOPs are critical to maintaining the sanitation in your food processing plant. Failure to follow your SSOPs can cause food product contamination by pathogens, consumer illness, product recalls, and public relation disasters. 

3-Inconsistent Hygiene Practices at Food Processor Plants

Cross contamination by improperly trained and unsupervised employees creates an environment for the spread of pathogens in food processing plants.  When GMPs (Good Manufacturing Practices) are not followed, such as the changing of outer garment/foot wear when working between the raw and RTE(Ready To Eat) areas, pathogens easily spread.

4 – Ineffective Cleaning Procedures and Noneffective Pathogen Control 

Listeria, Salmonella, and E coli spread throughout plants when ineffective cleaning/sanitation procedures are used. Food processing manufacturing is complex. The production floor equipment is extremely advanced and requires detailed daily cleaning/sanitation procedures.  Too often, resources are limited and in house sanitation teams struggle to consistently implement effective sanitation procedures. 

5 – Protecting Brand Reputation

The emergence of foodborne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella,  E. coli 0157:H7, and Campylobacter have grabbed national media attention and awareness. Companies thrive or die on the reputation of their brand.  Family companies to large corporations are destroyed when their food products cause outbreaks across multiple states, leading to numerous hospitalizations and possibilities of death.  The psychological impacts of recalls on consumers and marketplace can take years to recover. Brands are often compromised by improperly trained employees failing to follow their SSOPs.    

Solutions Food Processer Management Teams Can Use 

Short and Long-Term Labor 

Diversified Building Services has been providing labor solutions to facility management teams for 30 years. We understand the challenges and can provide the needed solutions. 

 Our approach provides the correct amount of supplemental labor you request so your facility teams can succeed. 

Nightly Cleaning Services

• DBS managed production cleaning

• Implementing your SSOP

• Spartan Sanitation Program

• Train- Validate- Document

• ATP Testing 

• Cost effective monthly rates

• Multi-Level supervised cleaning

• QC inspections of your plants

• Fast corrective actions implemented

• Background checks for security and safety

• Fully insured & simple billing

Our Labor Solutions Include:

•  Cost effective labor rates

• Planned scheduled shifts

• On demand requests available

• Uniformed workers 

• Background checks 

• OSHA trained workers

• Fully insured 

• All taxes, workmen’s compensation, unemployment taxes included

• Simple billing – no long term contracts

Labor Options – Starting at $25 Hour

Cleaners Supplied by DBS

• DBS supplies cleaners & supervisors

• Client manages cleaning team

• Client trains cleaners in their SSOP

• Client orders all cleaning supplies

• All taxes, workmen’s compensation, unemployment taxes included

• Flexible cleaning crew size – can scale

Skilled Utility Work 

• Skilled labor

• Strip/Wax floors

• High Dusting

• Specialty Cleaning 

Shift Cleaning & Day Porter/Janitor 

• Cleaning 1st Shift        

• Cleaning 2nd Shift

• Cleaning 3rd Shift        

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Emergency Services     $50/hour – Plus supplies

24/7/365 requests for disaster clean up or emergency services.

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Call Today and Learn How Diversified Can
Solve Your Labor Challenges 

203-697-9175 EXT 301

contact@diversifiedserve.com

www.diversifiedserve.com

Facilities Management Labor Challenges and Solutions

Vacations, medical leave, call outs and budget restraints cause significant challenges to the very best facilities management teams. The problem is quite simple...too much work and not enough work force to complete the required facilities functions. Other challenges include the increased hours needed for major corporate events …  and increased hours needed for periodic maintenance work during seasonal summer and winter periods. 

Six Challenges Facilities Management Teams Face

1. Daily in House Cleaning and Labor Shortages
   The daily cleaning of offices, restrooms, dining areas, hallways and manufacturing areas can be challenging. The cleaning must be performed daily … but at times there are just not enough cleaners with in house managed cleaning teams.  

2. Outsourced Cleaning Companies Fail to Keep Your Facility Clean
   Lack of customer specific detailed cleaning procedures, unsupervised cleaners and nonexistent corrective actions systems allow for outsourced cleaning companies to fail.  Small cleaning issues multiply over time, leaving your facility dirty. This is compounded by poor / no communication of customers concerns to the cleaning teams. 

3. Third Shift and Weekend Coverages
   Many companies operate 24/7.  Often...there is a challenge in staffing the 11pm to 7 am shifts and weekends, however, this shift is critical to prepare the facilities for use the next day.

4. Highly Technical Maintenance Labor Shortages 
   Skilled labor shortages provide a unique challenge to facilities management.  Stripping & waxing, sealing floors, carpet shampooing and grout cleaning cannot be done by just any employee.  Often, facilities managers need to supplement their teams with one or two skilled workers to complete the work.

5. Emergency Labor Requirements 
   What happens when inclement weather, natural disasters and facility breakdowns require 25, 50 or 100 workers to be brought in or extra hands are needed at 2:00am?  Facilities managers don't have the staffing resources necessary to resolve the situation.

6. Periodic Cleaning Budgeting
   It is not realistic to think that your nightly cleaner team can handle the detailed work needed to keep a facility clean. The stripping and waxing, carpet shampooing, window cleaning and high dusting require special utility crews, who have the skill sets needed to perform these services. Too often these services not budgeted into the cleaning contracts, leaving a shortage of skilled labor and buildings which look dirty.  

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Labor Solutions Facilities Management Teams Can Use

Short and Long-Term Labor 

Diversified Building Services has been providing labor solutions to University Facilities Management Teams for 30 years. We understand the challenges and can provide the needed solutions. 

Our approach provides the correct amount of supplemental labor you request … so your facilities your team can succeed. 

Nightly Cleaning Services

• Cost effective Monthly Rates

• Multi-Level Supervised Cleaning

• Detailed Systems Approach Cleaning

• 3-5-7 Times a Week Services

• QC Inspections of Your Buildings

• Fast Corrective Actions Implemented

• On demand requests available

• Uniformed workers 

• Background checks for the security and safety

• Fully Insured & Simple billing

Our Labor Solutions Include:

• Cost effective labor rates

• Planned scheduled shifts

• On demand requests available

• Uniformed workers 

• Background checks 

• OSHA trained workers

• Fully Insured 

• All taxes, workmen’s compensation, unemployment taxes included

• Simple billing 

• No long term contracts

Labor Options – Starting at $20 Hour

Laborer

• Setting up and break down tables/chairs for events

• Moving furniture 

• Moving boxes 

• Corporate & Social Events - Trash removal

• Pre, during and post event clean up

Skilled Utility Work 

• Skilled labor

• Strip/Wax floors

• High Dusting

• Specialty Cleaning 

Shift Cleaning & Day Porter/Janitor 

• Cleaning 1stShift        

• Cleaning 2ndShift       

• Cleaning 3rdShift        

Emergency Services     $50/hour – Plus supplies

24/7/365 requests for disaster clean up or emergency services.

Periodic Special Cleaning – Request a Quote

Full service window, hard floors, carpeting, high dustings and special cleaning requests

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Call Today …

Learn How Diversified Can Solve Your Labor Challenge

203-464-2332 (C)    203-697-9175  X 301 (O)   

Stan Bialecki, Director of Business Development

stan@diversifiedserve.com

Ladders-Free ECO Window

NO CHEMICALS

Lower Cost·Lower Risk·Better Results

Using Deionized Water with “0” dissolved solids, the DBS Ladders-Free window cleaning system uses no chemicals to make your windows and solar panels cleaner than alternative methods. Cleaner than tap water, we use no electricity or other fuel for windows up to four stories above grade . . . and our process is . . . 

DBS Ladders-Free, Eco-Window Cleaning System

• Eliminate the liability of exterior ladder work
• Eliminate high labor costs of crews working on slow, dangerous and costly ladders and lifts
• Eliminate costly lift rentals
• No environmental impact

Our unique, patent-pending filtration systems utilize a sediment-carbon black filter to remove particulates down to 5 ppm. Additional Deionization Resin filtration systems then remove the remaining solids and chlorine. Deionized water does not attract airborne particles resulting in crystal-clear, virtually spot-free results. . . all from grade level to four stories without a single ladder.  

No ladders. No electricity. No Chemicals. No Pollutants.

The DBS Ladders-Free ECO Window filtration system removes 99+% of the Total Dissolved Solids (TDS) from the supply water, vastly reducing water spotting and deposition of mineral deposits. Discharge water from the filtration system can be safely passed to any landscape vegetation or sanitary sewer.

The DBS system uses no chemicals, solvents, gasoline or electricity, consistent with the DBS Green Commitment that our educational, clinical and environmentally committed clients rely upon. Absolutely no soap, detergents, solvents or wetting agents are used in the DBS Ladders-Free ECO Window Cleaning System. Just deionized, highly filtered water.

No ladders = No liability  

THE DBS System delivers the highest safety standards to your exterior window cleaning projects. All work is done from grade level.  

The DBS Eco-Window Cleaning System is the integration of: a detailed work-time estimating system; patent-pending, highly-specialized filtration systems; trained and experienced field personnel performing the work; DBSs’ home-office, factory-trained maintenance techs maintaining the components of the filtration component to factory standards and a robust field operation serving CT, MA, RI, NY and PA.  Call for details.

DBS: Connecticut’s Leading Customer-Facing Cleaning Services Provider

Is Your Cleaning Company REALLY Cleaning?!

So you walk through the front door......

of your lobby, early this morning and you start to notice little things.

Fingerprints on the glass and the carpet seem like there is some sand on it.  At first, you do not make much of what you saw.  It’s early and you have a full day ahead of you.

You head to your office … answer the pile of emails your inbox has presented to you,  then head to the restroom before your 8 AM team meeting.

Again you notice some things are just not right …the garbage is ¾ full, the mirrors have watermarks on them and there is no soap in one the dispensers.  You then ask yourself … “Why are we paying for a commercial janitorial to come in every night?”   

Facilities managers and executives see these issues every day. In fact … the entire company notices these issues every day. It is all too common of a problem for our industry.

Commercial cleaning companies all too often sell the idea of 5 nights a week cleaning to ensure your company looks great, only to fail a few months into the contract.

The top three reasons your cleaners are leaving your building is dirty:

 

Lack of training and systems

Janitorial companies need to have detailed training and skill certification with all levels of their crews. This include the cleaners, supervisors and the managers. Detailed written training programs, OSHA certifications, client onboarding orientation with each site and written nightly checklists are just the beginning of the commercial cleaning company you hire.

Little to no supervision of cleaning crews

Who is in charge of the cleaning crew onsite at your company? Do you have a working lead cleaner who is managing the cleaning team each night?  Does that working lead have a local field supervisor who can be onsite in 30 minutes to resolve the issues that arise? 

In most commercial cleaning companies the answer to these questions is NO.  Too often commercial cleaning companies bid the work so low … there is no budget for supervision. This leads to small problems that can often escalate into “SITUATIONS” and you end up with a building that is just not clean.   

No quality control inspections

Having a third person … systematically walk through your office on a scheduled basis,   looking for cleaning issues is critical to keeping your business clean.  The best practices, used by top commercial cleaning companies, have inspections which are documented with pictures, dates, and details. These reports shared with the supervisors, working leads and the cleaning crew.  Collectively they come up and implement corrective actions to ensure that the problems are solved and do not happen again. 

Keeping your building clean requires Systems, Supervision and Inspection. Three simple ideas that challenge most cleaning companies.  

To learn more about how to keep your building clean request a free quote today!

Spring 2018: Cleaning News You Can Use

Spring Has Sprung … Now What?

Now that the weather is better . . . 

We had crazy continued cold temperatures this winter and our back-to-back nor'easter snowstorms had significant impacts on all businesses operations. In addition to lost time due to the storms, CT businesses closed early on many days … causing majors losses in production and operational output. With the bad weather behind us, now is the time to look at spring cleaning with an eye toward the restorative cleaning measures necessary to fight back the impact of the salt, sand and winter traffic we have all seen in our facilities.

Carpet Cleaning - Shampoo Options

There are a number of choices for carpet cleaning–from extraction to encapsulation to bonneting–each with its own cost and performance levels. Depending upon the type of soil, the most aggressive and most costly methods may not be necessary throughout your facility. It may pay to micromanage this process. Extract carpeting in your most heavily soiled areas (more expensive), and use one of the surface cleaning methods for the balance of your carpeted space (less expensive) for an optimal balance between cost and results. 

 

Haven’t Scrubbed the Tile for a While?

The effects are an accumulation of soil on the surface of the tile that is non-responsive to mopping and soiled grout–referred to as line to edge grout line discoloration. The corrective measure would be machine scrubbing and grout cleaning. Depending on the level and type of accumulated soil, the right cleanser and cleaning method will do a much better job on the tile and on the grout. 

Sealing the tile may also be very helpful, making the floor much easier to clean in daily maintenance.

 

Time to Take Care of the VCT

The abrasion of vinyl composition tile by the winter’s sand and salt can harm the wax finish on your flooring. Depending upon conditions, if you want to restore the floor finish you can strip and wax (more costly), or scrub and recoat (less costly). Other options include a coat of sealer applied directly onto the VCT, then several coats of high solids commercial floor finish. The right combination of sealer, coats of floor finish, daily and periodic maintenance will go a long way in protecting your VCT flooring with an esthetically appealing glass finish.

Learn more about Spring Cleaning for your business by requesting a free quote!