Outcomes:

Premises and equipment facilitate cold storage of meat products that are wholesome and do not jeopardise their wholesomeness.
*Maintenance of equipment and premises is carried out in a manner that prevents any risk of contamination of product or equipment and reduces the potential for breakdowns.  Premises are kept well maintained so to minimise all sources of foreign body contamination of product. A Premise and Equipment Maintenance Protocol is documented  Meat transport vehicles and equipment facilitate and do not jeopardise the wholesomeness of meat and meat products

Purpose:
The purpose of this procedure is to establish methods for notification of maintenance requirements by operational staff to Maintenance. It also includes the methods used for recording deficiencies, setting priorities, scheduling completion dates, informing the instigator of intended action, and following up where the agreed schedule is not met.  And to ensure that premises and equipment facilitate the cold storage of meat and meat products that are wholesome and do not jeopardise their wholesomeness, to ensure that premises and equipment minimise risk of injury, pain and suffering and causes the least practicable disturbance to animals.

Background

The Australian Meat Standard AS4696:2007, requires that premises and equipment facilitate the production of meat and meat products that are wholesome and do not jeopardise their wholesomeness.

Scope

 This procedure applies to but is not limited to the maintenance of facilities and equipment associated with the  cold storage of meat.  It also includes maintenance of Meat Transport Vehicles.

Definitions:

• Critical Defect.: A construction or equipment defect that will directly affect / jeopardise food safety / Meat or meat product wholesomeness, or Animal  Welfare (to be identified & corrected immediately.)
• Major defect: A construction or equipment defect that is not directly affecting food safety / Meat or meat product wholesomeness, or Animal Welfare but has the potential to do so.
• Minor defect: A construction or equipment defect that is not likely to affect food safety / Meat or meat product wholesomeness, or Animal Welfare.
  

  Responsibilities and Actions:

• *Also Refer to the Midfield Meat International Pty Ltd Start Up and Shutdown Procedures and Preventive Maintenance Manual
• Planning, implementation and supervision of the preventive maintenance program is the responsibility of the Site Manager and Maintenance Manager.
• Refrigeration Engineers, Plumbers, Contract Maintenance, Electricians, painters, apprentices and all other personnel involved in the maintenance of facilities are immediately responsible to the Site Manager.
• Meat transport vehicles responsibility is vested with the Transport manager. (Head Office)
• Maintenance Staff are responsible for the completion of routine, preventive, corrective and plant improvement maintenance.
• *Supervisors, and Staff of their respective areas are responsible for bringing to the attention of the Site Manager / any areas requiring maintenance or that may require maintenance in the future through the Form 13/ ILeader
• Process operators, including contract cleaners, are responsible for bringing to the attention of the Site Manager any areas requiring maintenance or that may require maintenance in the future.

At the end of each month the Site Manager will summarise the Form 13/ ILeader entry issued and report to the General Manager the outcomes and non-completed work for priority allocation of resources.  Meat premises and equipment are to be maintained in a good state of repair and working order commensurate with their use.  Equipment shall be properly designed for the intended purpose and shall be used so as to minimise the risk of contamination of product.  All equipment shall be properly specified and tested and commissioned prior to use. When commissioning new equipment and plant, a maintenance program shall be established and put in place based on risk assessment.  Equipment shall be positioned so as to give access under, inside and around it for ease of cleaning and servicing, or where permanently sited shall be properly sealed to the floor.

The safety or legality of product shall not be jeopardised during Maintenance operations.  Where temporary repairs are made, these shall be controlled to ensure the safety or legality of product shall not be jeopardised. These temporary measures shall be permanently repaired as soon as possible.  Cleaning or replacing light fittings, glass or brittle plastics shall be done in a manner that will minimise the potential for product contamination.  Maintenance of equipment or building structures must be completed so there is no risk to the product.  The Site Manager must ensure that Midfield Meat International are notified by all contractors engaged to complete work in any food storage area. All contractors must be aware of Midfield Meat International’s personnel hygiene requirements and are provided with appropriate protective clothing.

Maintenance staff and contractors are to ensure that they remove all tools and debris from any maintenance activity once it has been completed in any food handling area and inform the area Supervisor so appropriate hygiene and sanitation can be completed. 

Contractors are to inform the Site Manager if any work poses a potential threat to product or personal  safety i.e. pieces of electrical wire, damaged light fitting, loose fittings overhead. Contractors are to notify the Site Manager in the event of any breakage or damage that could expose products to contamination.

Contractors

Contractors must notify the Site Manager when work has been completed.

The Appropriate Midfield Management / Supervisory personnel must be informed of outside maintenance or contractor activity prior to commencement and at its completion to ensure appropriate clean up measures are taken.

*Where strongly scented or taint-forming materials have to be used, for instance for building work the risk of taint contamination of products must be prevented. This may be by scheduling maintenance work outside storage hours, removing / loading out product or sealing freezers in consultation with the QAM to avoid the risk of taint contamination to products.
*The Site Manager is responsible for ensuring Engineering Workshops are kept clean and tidy and controls  in place to prevent contamination risks to the product (e.g provision of swarf mats at the entrance / exit of workshops)