Bloom’s Taxonomy: V, VI
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
This topic gives the food and beverage processing manager a knowledge of critical considerations in planning for and oversight of building location and construction requirements, as well as facility infrastructure. The topic provides the overall skills required to effectively integrate equipment priorities with production operations and business priorities.
Learning Objectives
LO1. Assess equipment/systems health and needs in a food and beverage processing facility.
Effective oversight of equipment and systems starts with the ability to assess their health and status and to determine future needs.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Evaluate the equipment impact on environment and alignment to sustainability goals of the company.
- P2. Evaluate mechanical, physical, chemical, and manufacturing properties of material of construction of current equipment.
- P3. Assess the accuracy, precision, range, resolution, and sensitivity of instrumentation and process control equipment.
- P4. Analyze integrity of food contact surfaces and non-contact food surfaces.
- P5. Assess the corrosion and degradation levels of materials of construction.
- P6. Evaluate the equipment reliability and overall efficiency (yield, productivity, line performance, breakdowns, downtime)
- P7. Evaluate the maintenance, repairs, and overhaul cost.
- P8. Analyse quality, safety and food safety incidents involving the equipment (quality, food safety, and traceability data, statistical process control data, use and performance data).
- P9. Determine the capacity utilization, process capacity, and lifecycle.
- P10. Determine if the equipment is still fit for purpose, meet hygienic design requirements, and conform to current regulations.
- P11. Use common communication tools (e.g., reports, presentations) to report on equipment, systems, and organizational health.
LO2. Plan for hygienic design for food contact surfaces
Hygienic design is the design, construction, and installation of equipment in such a way that it does not adversely affect food safety and quality.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Look for hygienic design for food contact surfaces such as valves, pipes, vessels, in-line equipment (pumps, sensors, instruments, etc.).
- P2. Consider certified hygienic design equipment by certifying organisations such as European Hygienic Engineering and Design Group (EHEDG) or 3A Sanitary Standards Incorporated (3A-SSI).
- P3. Select proper coating for internal surfaces to eliminate flakes off from contaminating food.
- P4. Avoid porous materials such as wood from contacting the food.
- P5. Consider stainless steel (Grades such as 304L and 316L) contact surfaces requirements such as surface roughness Ra < 0.8 µm and 2B finish for hygienic application.
- P6. Avoid shadow areas in vessels (tanks) where equipment within a tank prevents the liquid from a spray ball making full contact with all surfaces.
- P7. Ensure the application of best practices of welding and welding finishes.
LO3. Oversee hygienic design for food non-contact surfaces including building.
A non-food contact surface is not in contact with the product. It can be in the form of the building location, design, and construction materials.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Select the appropriate facility location.
- a. Ensure the site is well located to prevent potential contamination with environmental pollutants (odors, chemicals, sewage,) and other contamination sources such as microorganisms and pests.
- b. Ensure the site is uncluttered and free of refuse.
- P2. Oversee exterior building design and construction.
- a. Ensure that landscaping is not too close to the building. Areas within a 3m perimeter of the factory must be kept vegetation free to avoid pest breeding and harborage sites.
- b. Ensure the drainage system or landscape design are maintained appropriately to minimize standing water.
- c. Ensure all entrances/exits are designed for control over access, flow or exit of personnel, raw and finished food products, air, process aids, waste, utilities, and pests.
- d. Ensure exterior lighting fixtures are shielded with a non-breakable, transparent material, and placed in locations away from the factory building to prevent the insects from entering the facility.
- e. Ensure driveways leading to receiving areas are appropriately paved and constructed for adequate drainage.
- f. Avoid any horizontal ledges or overhangs in construction to discourage roosting or nesting of birds.
- g. Ensure exterior walls are smooth and cleanable.
- h. Ensure effluent treatment plants and waste disposal units are sited such that prevailing winds do not blow microbial and dust aerosols into manufacturing areas.
- P3. Oversee design of openings into the building
- a. Prevent the entry of rodents and insects into buildings by sealing all openings to the outside.
- b. Ensure any openings into buildings, including doors, windows, ventilation ducts, and other openings are appropriately sealed and protected. Openings into the roof such as exhaust fans for air handling systems, ventilation ducts, and plumbing vent pipes must be sealed, and appropriately flashed and screened. Windows are discouraged in food processing operations.
- c. Ensure exterior doors are not open directly into production areas, and windows are absent from food processing areas as they present sanitation problems due to glass breakage and overall maintenance considerations.
- d. Ensure gaps at the entrances of electrical conduits, process, and utility piping, which are convenient pathways for roof rats, are closed.
- e. Ensure Loading Docks, Platforms, and Receiving Rooms openings are provided with plastic strips or air curtains to prevent the entry of insects.
- P4. Oversee interior building design and construction.
- a. Ensure the roof is designed and built so it can be kept clean, and condensation can be avoided.
- b. Ensure interior walls are cleanable, smooth, and flat and easy to maintain. Avoid wood for interior walls in food facilities. Wood is porous and cannot be adequately sealed.
- c. Ensure junctures between walls and ceilings, and between walls and floors are rounded or coved.
- d. Ensure insulation is installed so that it is not exposed and is sealed off from food processing and handling areas.
- e. Ensure the pipe racks are designed hygienically to minimize the presence of horizontal ledges, crevices, or gaps where inaccessible dirt can accumulate.
- f. Ensure interior light fixtures are the type approved for food facilities and are equipped with break resistant lenses or shatterproof shielding. The fixtures should be designed to be moisture resistant and cleanable.
- g. Ensure the construction materials for equipment and utility piping are hygienic, chemical-resistant, physically durable, and easy to maintain.
- h. Design a pocket-free drains and ensure Floor drains are screened to avoid rats from entering the food plant via sewers.
- i. Ensure Chemical and Wear-resistant Floors.
LO4. Oversee hygienic design for food non-contact surfaces including facility infrastructure.
A food non-contact surface is not in contact with the product. It can be in the form of the support structure, ancillary equipment, flooring, drainages, electrical installation, cablings and ventilation. The facility infrastructure must be designed and constructed in a manner that it cannot contaminate food products, whether directly or indirectly.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Oversee requirements of employee facilities and sanitation areas
- a. Ensure employee facilities (Locker Rooms, and Restrooms) are not open directly into processing or other critical areas.
- b. Ensure locker rooms and restrooms are located at the entrance of the building and separate from production, product, and raw material handling areas.
- c. Ensure there are sanitation stations at every production entrance to prevent food contamination.
- d. Ensure the handwashing sinks have appropriate backflow prevention and no submerged inlets. All employees must go through hand washing station before entering the production area.
- P2. Oversee requirements of heating, ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) Systems
- a. Ensure appropriate design of HVAC system to correctly control the temperature, ventilation, and air circulation within the facility.
- b. Ensure air positive pressure differentials in food production and food handling areas to avoid airborne contamination.
- c. Ensure the system is designed, installed in such a way that it could be easily cleaned and maintained.
- d. Install adequate air filters to supply filtered air in the facility by the HVAC system.
- e. Ensure a proper balanced air supply and exhaust system. Exhaust systems should have sufficient capacity to remove excess heat, dust, vapor, aerosols, odors, and bioburden from process rooms.
- P3. Oversee the design of facility layout and operational flows.
- a. Prevent potential contact of the finished product with raw materials by Ensuring that the raw materials and ingredients move from the ‘’dirty’’ to the ‘’clean’’ areas and the flow of food waste and discarded outer packaging materials are in the opposite direction.
- b. Ensure plant inspections or tours are done in a counter product traffic direction starting with finished product rooms and ending in raw material handling areas.
- c. Ensure there is a physical separation between raw and finished products and minimal entry into critical production areas.
- d. Ensure a positive pressure in finished product rooms, as to avoid outside air ingress.
- e. Design a floor marking system (color-coding) to identify different areas of the facility and to delimitate traffic areas for people flow.
- f. Ensure chemical storage rooms are well ventilated, isolated, and far from manufacturing area,
- g. Determine the appropriate place for installing the process equipment and where the process and utility piping should enter the process area.
LO5. Establish effluent treatment, utilities supply and design.
Managers should have the competencies to evaluate effluent treatment, utilities supply and design.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Consider clean steam or culinary steam for sterilization of contact surfaces.
- P2. Select a primary refrigerant based on its ability to be condensed and evaporated effectively, safety, compatibility with materials, monetary cost, environmental impact (ODP, ozone depletion potential and GWP, global warning potential).
- P3. Choose appropriate raw water treatment methods to make it potable, free of micro-organisms and suitable to use in the process.
- P4. Assess Total Suspended Solids (TSS), Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD) and the biological oxygen demand (BOD) of untreated effluent to determine the design and size of wastewater treatment plant (WWTP).
- P5. Liaise with authorities to know how stringent the discharge of effluent should be.
- P6. Analyse the possibility to combine anaerobic and anaerobic treatment of wastewater.
- P7. Explore the potential of anaerobic digestion to produce biogas (methane) that could be reused or sold.
- P8. Incorporate energy recovery systems and circular economy into utility design and layout.
- P9. Ensure compressed air are adequate for instruments and valves to operate effectively.
LO6. Plan for electrical equipment, electricity supply and design
Managers should have the competencies to ensure facility meets the electrical requirements and code.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Select appropriate AC voltages and phases.
- P2. Select motors with high power factor and good power factor correction.
- P3. Position the biggest power users closest to the transformer to save cable length and cost.
- P4. Plan for a back-up power generation.
- P5. Consider self-generation of power such as solar panels or generators. Choose soft starters and variable speed drives to avoid maximum demand and wear and tears of motors.
- P6. Use overloaded circuit breakers, electrical earthing, and grounding to prevent unsafe conditions in the environment and to protect the equipment itself.
- P7. Consider equipment design that include the electrical isolation Lock Out Tag Out and Try Out (LOTOTO) when possible.
LO7. Develop strategies to integrate equipment and systems priorities with business priorities.
Managers should have the competencies to develop strategies to integrate equipment with business priorities.
Detailed Competencies = Performance indicators include but are not limited to:
- P1. Determine the true cost of asset (TCO = Initial Cost + Installation + Operation + Maintenance + Disposal). Use cost/benefit and risk assessment tools to pressure test equipment and decisions.
- P2. Create process flow diagrams and equipment plan layout for equipment and systems in food and beverage processing operations.
- P3. Evaluate options for equipment rental, leasing, or purchase, or outsourcing functions (e.g., maintenance).
- a. Balance design of what is needed for the moment with some flexibility for future needs.
- b. Design in system redundancy as much and as often as the budget allows.
- P4. Present a business case for equipment/systems purchases and upgrades.
- P5. Evaluate the legal responsibilities and risks that impact equipment or service procurement/outsourcing in food and beverage processing facilities.
- P6. Create transparent and efficient procurement procedures to select competent service providers and procure the most cost-effective solution for equipment or systems modification/replacement.
- P7. Create service level agreements (including financial arrangements) with equipment and service providers.
- P8. Create a schedule of deliverables and timelines for monitoring the work/performance of equipment and service providers.
- P9. Comply with legal requirement and identify legal responsibilities and risk.
- P10. Consider energy conservation opportunities and available government funding programs and reduce environmental impact.
- P11. Create a systematic approach (e.g., priority matrix) for aligning equipment and systems priorities with strategic, business (including environmental and social responsibility priorities).
- P12. Evaluate internal and outsourced personnel as options in equipment and systems planning and engage with frontline personnel, supervisors, other mangers in decisions regarding equipment and systems.
- P13. Develop Work Management Systems (WMS) which is a system that helps businesses create an efficient workflow structure that works for every level in the organization.
- P14. Create a facility plan that ensures strategic decisions related to equipment and systems, including:
- a. Integrate key drivers (people, products, process, and technology).
- b. Improve productivity and efficiency.
- c. Create product excellence.
- d. Control costs.
- P15. Align with food safety and GMP requirements and with regulatory and legal requirements.
- P16. Integrate appropriate technologies including Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Computerized Maintenance Management System (CMMS) which is a software that helps manage assets, schedule maintenance and track work orders.
- a. Determine the appropriate automation and instrumentation for process control.
- b. Choose an instrument (temperatures instruments, pressure instruments, flowrate instruments, vessel content instruments, analytical instruments, etc.) based on process requirements and financial factors.
- c. Consider remote access technologies when applicable.
- P17. Ensure cyber security is in place to prevent unauthorized access.
Links to existing courses
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Approved Accredited Training Programs (Academic, Industries, Private Trainer)
NA
Recognition of worker skills = Certification
NA
Evaluation technics / assessment
- Quizzes
- Written tests
- Multiple choice questions
