Lohmann Hatchery Guide

54 LOHMANN TIERZUCHT › MANAGEMENT GUIDE 54 HYGIENE Cleaning programmes Cleaning and disinfection programmes should ensure that all parts of the estab- lishment are appropriately clean, and should also include the cleaning of clean- ing equipment. Cleaning and disinfection programmes should be continually and effectivelymon- itored for their suitability and effectiveness and, where necessary, documented. Where written cleaning programmes are used, they should specify: › › areas, items of equipment and utensils to be cleaned; › › responsibility for particular tasks; › › method and frequency of cleaning; › › monitoring arrangements. Cleaning activities shall be carried out in periods of non-production. If this is not possible, these operations shall be con- trolled so as not to affect the product. Where a company hires a third-party ser- vice provider for cleaning and disinfection activities, all requirements specified within this section shall be clearly defined in the respective contract. Where appropriate, programmes should be drawn up in consultation with relevant specialist expert advisors. The efficiency of cleaning and sanitisa- tion should be checked and recorded at routine intervals by the quality control re- sponsible. Mechanisms of monitoring and verifica- tion of the effectiveness of cleaning in- clude: › › visual inspection; › › contact microbiological swabs or plates; › › ATP bioluminescence techniques; › › microbiological testing of partly pro- cessed and finished products; › › microbiological and chemical checks of rinse water. The monitoring of cleaning should be formally documented, records should be maintained, any trends should be ana- lysed and, where required, corrective ac- tion should be implemented to improve cleaning and sanitisation practices. Example of a control procedure: cleaning and disinfection – process description The objectives of a cleaning procedure are: › › to ensure that all hatchery areas are properly cleaned, sanitised and main- tained at the highest level of cleanliness; › › to minimise as far as practicable the numbers of microorganisms; › › to reduce cross-contamination between clean and dirty areas of the building and between batches of eggs in incubation and chicks in hatchers; › › to minimise the build-up of bacterial flora in the environment of the building. Responsibilities This procedure applies to hatchery em- ployees involved in the cleaning and the sanitising of different areas. It is the re- sponsibility of the hatchery area supervi- sor to ensure that these procedures are followed. Process description The procedure definition section of a pro- cedure will contain a step-by-step descrip- tion of the task or function to be carried out. Removal of debris from a surface takes three steps: 1) ´eparating the debris from the surface; 2) Dispersing the debris in the cleaning solution; 3) Preventing dispersed debris from reat- taching to the surface. For equipment All equipment and other surfaces that could come into contact with products should be cleaned and sanitised case by case at the end of the shift in which they were used, following these steps: 1. Where possible open / disassemble the equipment.