Food Safety Focus | Focus on Drips

News | 10-19-2022

Food Safety Focus

Hello All!

I hope this message finds all of you and your families safe and well.

Drip, Drip, Drip… what is that sound? Today I want to talk briefly about keeping products dry and safely away from areas that leak.

In any given warehouse, the roof may not be what is used to be (I know the feeling!), so it is important to make sure we never place products under any roof leaks in the warehouse. Roof leaks must be reported to management immediately, to be written up and fixed when found. They can never be allowed to affect products stored in our care.

Roofs aren’t the only things that leak above us though. The refrigeration units located on the ceilings around the warehouse are another source of unpleasant fluids that can rain down in the warehouse. Whether it’s water from a drip pan that is full or a leaking drain line, it is important that this does not affect products we have in storage or located on the docks as we process inbounds and send out shipments of products. You may think the product is in a case so it’s protected, but you would be surprised how easily fluids that drip down can get down into something. Products affected this way can cause someone to get sick and start a recall of the product. If it’s found that our site caused a recall or customer sickness, we would be responsible for everything that follows. It’s easier to just make sure we don’t store products under refrigeration units or if you do make sure the product is adequately shielded from any possible fluid exposure, like having metal sheets above products and below the units that would keep fluids out if a leak occurred. It’s not easy to see what’s going on from the ground when looking up to see if products stored under units have been affected so having an added shield in place above the products will help give some peace of mind, especially if products stay under ceiling units for an extended amount of time.

Even condensation from doors being open can occur as well on the ceiling. It’s hard to plan for that so be aware and make sure this doesn’t affect products in a negative way. Condensation coming off a steel pipe or roof beam can still pick up some nasty chemicals along the way, so please be aware and keep products safe from drips. Also doorways should be cleaned regularly to get rid of all the frost and ice that can build up there.

Thank you for all that each of you do every Day to ensure safe food for our families!

Justin Straka

Corporate Food Safety Manager

Food Safety Focus | Focus on Drips

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