ISO and HACCP Audit

My plant was audited today and we thoroughly prepared for this occasion since last week. It was an ISO and Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) audit. We have to ensure all records and documents are well kept and organized. We must clean the plant and clear it from unwanted objects such as cotton rags, welding rod, plastic, food wrap, cigarette bud, water clogging, etc which were lying around (the lists of objects that you can find in the plant are too long but please don't assume we are not cleaning the plant. We clean the plant on a daily basis, but sometimes unwanted objects suddenly appears!!! It's a very big plant - 10 floors). Besides that the plate heat exchanger (PHE) and pump tray should be dry and clean (for your information, sometimes the PHE and pump leaks and oil is contained in the tray. This can be considered oil lost!!! Oil is money in the oil industry).

The Critical Control Point (CCP), [which is a point, step or procedure at which controls can be applied and a food safety hazard can be prevented, eliminated or reduced to acceptable (critical) levels] in my plant is the filter bags. The filter bag record and differential pressure was inspected randomly. This CCP is very important in food industry because it is the most critical step in ensuring the safety and cleanliness of a food product. I don't intend to describe more about this as it might be too technical (unless anybody wants to know more, you can ask me via email).

The glasses at the pressure gauge, temperature gauge and vessels were inspected as well. In addition, the pest control program was checked too. During the interview, we managed to answer and convince the auditor that the ISO and HACCP standards are well applied. I'm glad that we passed through this round of audit without any non-conformance (NC). Thanks to all the supervisors, shift leaders, plant operators and contract workers for their commitment, dedication and hard work for the audit preparation.

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