Bloom’s Taxonomy: LV, LVI
Definition
- LI. Remembering: Exhibit memory of previously learned material by recalling facts, terms, basic concepts and answers.
- LII. Understanding: Demonstrate understanding of facts and ideas by organizing, comparing, translating, interpreting, giving descriptions and stating main ideas.
- LIII. Applying: Solve problems in new situations by applying acquired knowledge, facts, techniques and rules in a different way.
- LIV. Analyzing: Examine and break information into parts by identifying motives or causes. Make inferences and find evidence to support generalizations.
- LV. Evaluating: Present and defend opinions by making judgments about information, validity of ideas, or quality of work based on a set of criteria.
- LVI. Creating: Compile information together in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.
Topic Description
Learning Objectives
Managers should have the competencies needed to conduct a pest risk assessment and critical analysis of the premises. This requires identification of potential pests and their behaviors, identification of issues within the physical premises that may allow entry of pests into the building, and investigation of all areas which can provide shelter, security and warmth and food to pests. Once risks are identified, managers should have the ability to establish procedures that manage pest access sites and eliminate potential breeding sites and implement interventions to eliminate infestations.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Prioritize which types of pests (insects, rodents, birds, etc.) are potential hazards.
- P2. Define the risks to the product and process posed by the prioritized pests.
- P3. Determine typical behaviors, modes of entry and modes of infestation for priority pests.
- P4. Identify potential access points of pests to the facility (building, fence line, building surrounding areas, loading, and receiving docks, roof, doors, windows…)
- P5. Identify areas that may provide shelter and food to pests (vegetation around the facility, walls, roofs, ceiling, drains, processing area, employee facilities, waste areas, food, and ingredients in storage areas, interior waste areas and associated utilities.
- P6. Determine mitigation methods for the potential points of access, breeding sites, shelters, and food available to pests.
- P7. Describe the resources needed to prevent pest infestation including maintaining the premises, training employee, and investing in pest control program.
Managers should have the ability to design pest control program based on the regulation requirements and food safety standards being implemented in their facility. They should be able to demonstrate due diligence in any problem arises from pest control. They should identify the resources needed to prevent pest infestations without causing a threat to food safety or to the safety of employees.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Identify the laws and regulations applicable to the facility.
- P2. Perform a risk assessment to identify pest issues.
- P3. Identify the pest control procedures that should be implemented.
- P4. Determine the frequency of the monitoring and verifications activities as this may have a direct impact on the resources required (staff, frequency of third-party control contractor visits…)
- P5. Ensure that the pest control procedures are safe and don’t create additional food safety risks (i.e., using an allergen such as peanut butter as bait, chemical repellents that may add a contamination risk…)
- P6. Document pest control procedures as part of a HACCP or preventive control program
- P7. Evaluate when pest control functions can be managed with internal employees versus when it may be recommended to contract with a third-party pest control contractor.
- P8. Identify criteria needed to choose a pest control contractor.
- P9. Ensure the company has undertaken the appropriate steps to prove due diligence in case of any incident.
Managers have a role to oversee and coordinate the activities that allow for pest control programs to function effectively. Managers enable employee teams to perform the essential tasks. Managers also develop administrative procedures and records to ensure pest control activities fit into broader food safety initiatives.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Identify all persons or positions responsible for pest control activities including both pest control and pest eradication.
- P2. Create a facility schematic identifying where pest control interventions are taking place. This includes outside and inside of the facility, potential ingress locations, the number of pest control devices as well as type of pest control device (physical or chemical) and their location on the facility schematic.
- P3. Prioritize appropriate pest control mitigation, first emphasizing prevention, then non-chemical mitigation, and lastly chemical control
- P4. Justify pest control procedures used (ultrasonic repellers, traps location, electrocutors equipped with catch trays…) within the facility, ensuring their compliance with regulations and food safety programming.
- P5. Provide step-by-step details on the activity to be performed in a standard operating procedure.
- P6. Design pest control monitoring templates (logbook) to be completed by frontline workers, supervisors, and the third-party pest control contractor when applicable.
- P7. Determine the immediate corrective actions needed to be implemented in case of deviation.
- P8. Review and verify the pest control records periodically with minimum annually to identify trends and take the appropriate long term corrective actions.
- P9. Conduct a root cause analysis to identify sources of pest infestation.
- P10. Create reporting and safety procedures when handling a treatment of a pest infestation.
- P11. Perform continuous improvement on pest control program and track improvements within a change log.
Managers should have the ability to establish procedures that manage pest access sites and eliminate potential breeding and harborage. This is establishment of the environmental control measures.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Identify potential points of entry for pests into the facility.
- P2. Apply appropriate physical controls to prevent pest entry (e.g., window screens, door sweeps, loading bay airlocks, crack filling, gravel barriers, minimized landscaping, bird deterrents).
- P3. Create monitoring procedures to manage environmental features that may encourage pests (e.g., pooling water, spilt food in exterior areas, open waste receptacles), and harborage areas (e.g., shrubs, landscape plants, accumulated materials, etc.).
- P4. Train and motivate staff to ensure their competency to detect any signs of pest infestation or a breach in the environmental control.
- P5. Ensure staff are not feeding animals intentionally around the facility (e.g., feeding stray cats or dogs, birds, or rodents outdoors in proximity to the facility).
- P6. Provide effective supervision for pest monitoring activities.
- P7. Monitor, verify and perform corrective action based on the findings.
- P8. Perform continuous improvement on pest control program and track improvements within a change log.
When environmental controls may not be entirely successful, other steps must be taken to quickly and thoroughly eliminate any pests that gain access to food premises. This is called the second line of defence using physical and chemical interventions. Managers have the responsibility to either create or oversee the creation of eradication plan where treatment with chemical, physical, or biological agents is needed and must be carried out without posing a threat to the safety or suitability of food. This responsibility may be performed by trained employees but is often supplied by a pest control contractor.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Identify physical pest control measures to be implemented such as the use of physical traps, glue pads and insect electrocutors or others.
- P2. Identify chemical pest control measures to be implemented such as the use of approved / registered pesticides by the appropriate regulatory body.
- P3. Identify defect action levels for insect or rodent contamination in food products to identify what level of contamination is deemed acceptable by regulatory, supply chain or customer systems.
- P4. Secure storage of chemical interventions to avoid the risk of food contamination.
- P5. Define a facility map showing the locations of pest control interventions such as rodent bait stations for monitoring and verification activities.
- P6. Develop procedures using fumigation, fogging, residual and contact surface spray and other eradication measures to control insect.
- P7. Develop monitoring and verification activities.
- P8. Perform continuous improvement on pest control program and track improvements within a change log.
For the second line of defence and implementation of physical and chemical interventions, a third-party pest control company or contractor may be appropriate as a cost-effective way to leverage specialty expertise. The manager should have the competencies to choose and liaise with the contractor and provide feedback on their performance of duties.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Assess the contractors based on their experience and certifications when dealing with pests associated with food manufacturing.
- P2. Evaluate the ability of the contractor to undertake a complete survey and provide a clear report of recommendations and action required.
- P3. Identify the service needed from the contract including, detail the pests covered, frequency of visits and reports, arrange for additional treatment.
- P4. Assess the ability of the contractor to provide emergency response protocol.
- P5. Sign the service level agreement with the contractor.
- P6. Establish a clear reporting procedure and accountability between the contractor and the company.
- P7. Assess the ability of the contractor to undertake the pest control activities without causing a threat to food safety and occupational health and safety.
- P8. Evaluate if the turnaround time for the contractor to act if signs of an infestation are observed meets your requirements.
- P9. Evaluate the financial cost associated with contracting a contractor.
- P10. Determine if the Return on Investment (ROI) from the third-party contractor meet the expectations.
- P11. Monitor the contractor’s performance of the pest control duties yearly and provide constructive feedback as necessary.
Managers create the workplace accountability and culture which allows general labour and supervisors to play an important role in detecting pest infestation signs and identifying physical improvements to reduce pest entry. Managers must mobilize members of the workforce to fulfill the requirements of the pest control program. Therefore, managers must provide the required training to ensure staff are well skilled and have the competency to do the job.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Identify personnel whose workplace activities may allow them easy identification of pests, or whose activities have a direct role in pest prevention such as grounds and property maintenance personnel, receiving and storage warehouse personnel, and waste disposal personnel.
- P2. Create a training program or take other action to ensure personnel have the necessary competency for pest control activities.
- P3. Ensure that personnel responsible for monitoring, corrections and corrective actions are well trained.
- P4. Evaluate the implementation and the effectiveness of training program implemented or other actions taken.
- P5. Maintain records of training and actions taken.
Links to existing courses
NA
Approved Accredited Training Programs (Academic, Industries, Private Trainer)
Recognition of worker skills = Certification
Evaluation technics / assessment
- Quizzes
- Written tests
- Multiple choice questions
