Revised: 30 Aug 07
Training Program
The training provided by this plant to its employees consists of the following:
A. Employee Hygiene and Good Food Handling Practices
B. Technical Training
A. Employee Hygiene and Good Food Handling Practices
a. All employees annually receive a minimum 30-minute presentation from the shift
supervisor utilizing the following information:
i. Policy – Employee Practices
ii. Food Hazards – Biological, Chemical, Physical
iii. Communicable Diseases
iv. Job Descriptions
b. All employees are required to sign the EMPLOYEE GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES
COMMITMENT form which is kept on file.
B. Technical Training
a. Employees are given on-site training by the employer.
b. Employees have access to Standard Operating Procedures applying to their work.
c. Equipment technical manuals are available for reference for employees working with
complex equipment.
Verified by: _____________ Date: ________ Form printed: 16-Feb-12
TRAINING PROGRAM
A. Employee Practices
1. GENERAL EXPECTATIONS
Our goal is to produce a food product that is safe for our customers. Employees will comply with the
provincial health guidelines and Workers Compensation Board standards as well as CFIA guidelines on
general conduct for food manufacturing plants.
Employees will be instructed on proper hygiene, behaviour, work safety, general housekeeping and
production rules while in the plant. Experienced supervisors and quality control personnel along with
charge hands will enforce all regulations to minimize potential sources of contamination.
All employees are required to be ready for work at their assigned location when their shift starts.
Tardiness will not be tolerated.
2. PERSONAL HYGIENE AND PRACTICES
Employees must wear hairnets when entering the production facility. Hairnets must be worn over the
ears to ensure all hair is covered. Beard nets are to be used where required (supplied by employer).
All employees must wear short or long sleeve shirts and full trousers. All employees must wear closed
toe shoes. Employees must wear aprons (supplied by employer).
Rubber gloves may be worn when the food product is being handled (employer will provide gloves).
Employees having hand contact with the food product must immerse their gloved hands into a
disinfectant solution prior to entering the production area. This will avoid contamination from other
areas of the plant.
Jewellery (except for medical bracelets), smoking, gum, food or drink is prohibited in all areas where
food is handled.
3. WORK SAFETY
The Workers Compensations Board regulations shall be followed at all times. Proper footgear suited
for your job must be worn. (e.g.: approved CSA steel toed foot wear when working with filled barrels).
Improper behaviour will not be tolerated. Safety of workers is of extreme importance and must be
practiced at all times. Yield right of way to product movement.
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EMPLOYEE GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES
Personal Hygiene & Health Requirements
1. All employees must wash their hands before starting work, after handling contaminated materials,
breaks or lunch periods, and after using washroom facilities. Where necessary to minimize
microbiological contamination, employees shall use disinfectant (hand dips).
2. Employees are required to report for work in clean, sanitary clothing and maintain a high degree of
personal cleanliness. When uniforms are supplied, they should be worn and also kept clean.
Storing clothing or other personal items in the production area will not be permitted. Uniforms
should not be worn when eating food or during breaks.
3. No sleeveless garments are allowed. No fuzzy clothing will be permitted in the plant. Open toed
shoes, sandals, thongs, clogs and/or moccasins are not allowed in the plant. Shirts or blouses shall
be buttoned, except for the collar button, and shall cover the waist. Fingernails shall be trimmed
and clean. Use of fingernail polish is prohibited unless gloves are worn.
4. All loose or exposed hair shall be contained by a hair net. Beards and goatees shall be covered by a
beard net. Ear plugs not secured by a cord shall be covered by a hair net.
5. Jewellery unless specifically authorized shall not be allowed (wedding bands with no stones or
medical alert tags which can not be removed may be worn but shall be covered. Rings of any other
sort shall not be allowed. Hair curlers, bobby pins, combs, ribbons, etc, of any kind shall not be
worn in the plant.
6. Any behaviour that could result in contamination of food, such as eating or drinking, use of tobacco,
chewing gum or candy, shall be prohibited in food handling areas. Any unhygienic practices such as
spitting shall not be tolerated. All eating in the plant is to be confined to the lunchrooms. Sampling
of product as part of a job assignment shall be done within the confines of authorized areas.
7. All glass containers are prohibited in food handling areas. Pens, tools, earplugs, cigarettes, etc.
shall not be carried in the upper shirt pockets.
8. Employees must be in a healthy condition when they report to work. All employees must inform
supervisor of any employee suffering from, or known to be carriers of a disease transferable
through food. Employees with sores or boils on hands, arms or face must be cleared by their
supervisor before being permitted to work. Cuts or abrasions must be report to first aid, and must
be covered with a secure waterproof covering (glove).
9. Visitors are to report to office, and must be accompanied by authorized personnel in order to
prevent cross contamination to the product.
By signing, I acknowledge that I have received the training provided by my employer and will comply
with the requirements as outlined above. Failure to do so may result in disciplinary action.
Signed:___________________ Date: _______________ Witnessed by: _______________
Print name:__________________ Trainer
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ii. Food Safety Principles
Why manage food safety?
The safety of our food supply is critical to the well-being of people eating our food products. The
freedom to be without disease is a condition that people cherish. The absence of illness- or injury-
causing organisms, chemicals and physical hazards in food is something that people expect. The food
processor is responsible for the mass production of large quantities of food. It is, therefore, important
that the premises, ingredients and processes do not introduce these hazards into food. Scientific
principles must be employed to develop a system to manage the safe production of food. This cannot
be achieved by trial-and-error and requires proper management and diligence by the food processor.
Traditional practices of food production and distribution are changing to where foods produced in one
region are distributed across provinces, regions and nations. Essentially fewer centrally processing
plants are producing for wider area (large volume). Therefore, one-day’s production of unsafe foods
produced could be distributed to multiple regions and nations- resulting in huge product recalls.
Biological Hazards
Biological hazards may be insects or parasites (usually visible to the un-aided eye) or micro-organisms.
The micro-organisms (requiring the use of microscopes to view) are bacteria, fungi or protozoa, and
viruses. (see the “Bad Bug” info on http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~mow/intro.html )
Viral diseases that can be transmitted through food include: polio, hepatitis A, and inflammation of the
stomach or intestines. Viruses are usually transmitted by contamination by feces. Fecal contamination
can occur directly when someone fails to wash his/her hands after defecating or when water is
contaminated by sewage.
Protozoa can be found in contaminated drinking water or in raw meat that is not cooked properly.
Giardia and Cryptosporidium are often found in drinking water while Cyclospora infections usually occur
in cases of traveller’s diarrhea. Chlorination does not inactivate the resting stages of Giardia and
Cryptosporidia.
Fungi that produce toxins are also hazards. Aflatoxin found in peanuts (produced by Aspergillus spp.) is
an example of a mycotoxin. Patulin can be found in apples that have been attacked by mold.
Bacteria usually create hazards because of the toxins they produce. Some produce toxins in the food
before it is eaten while others create toxins when it is ingested. Some examples are Staphylococcus
aureus (produces a heat-stable toxin) and Bacillus cereus that produce toxins in the food while
Salmonella produces a toxin in the body.
Cross-contamination from raw to cooked foods is a common pathway. Other bacteria are transmitted by
the fecal/oral route. Growth of bacteria in food before consumption or growth in the body to sufficiently
large numbers is important in causing food-borne disease.
Communicable disease is a disease that is easily transferred from one person to another. Some of the
communicable diseases that are passed on through food include: Hepatitis A and Norwalk virus. An
example of a case with Hepatitis A was a food handler at Capers store in Vancouver where several
people got sick. The Norwalk virus was the disease in a number of cruise ships going to Alaska. If a
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person is ill with a communicable disease, that person should not be near food or people that are
handling food. The person with communicable disease must contact the supervisor so that product is
not contaminated. The person will be excused from work or will be assigned to work that will not cause
harm to the food.
Chemical Hazards
Chemical hazards are those that create a hazard because of reaction caused by a chemical agent.
Examples of chemical agents can include:
Pesticides (from agricultural products, through the food chain, or pest control products)
Cleaning agents and sanitizers
Oils and greases (from hydraulic systems, gear and chain drives, etc.)
Processing aids (e.g. caustic, etc.)
Excessive controlled ingredients (e.g. too much salt, acid)
Toxins from bacteria are sometimes considered chemical hazards
Physical Hazards
Physical hazards are those that can cause physical injury to a consumer. Examples of physical hazards
include:
Bone fragments
Glass (from light bulbs, thermometers, windows, mirrors)
Metal (from equipment, fasteners [screws, nails, bolts, nuts, etc.], shavings
o Ferrous metal is attracted to magnets: Ferrous metal contains iron.
o Non-ferrous metal must be located by a metal detector. Non-ferrous metals include:
brass, aluminum, most stainless steel products.
Wood fragments
Plastic fragments
Stones
Personal effects (such as jewelry, pens, hair clips)
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iii. Job Descriptions (examples)
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Revised: 30 Aug 07
Employee Training Record
Date of Employee Trained Topic of Training Person doing training
Training
Verified by: _____________ Date: ________ Form printed: 16-Feb-12