As the year draws to a conclusion it is a good time for facility and quality assurance managers to prepare for a year-end review of their pest management program. Taking stock of what’s working, what isn’t and ways to improve your pest management protocols are important steps to ensure your pest management program is ahead of the game.
Year-end assessments identifying potential weak spots in your pest management plan and make sure the facility’s pest management documentation is in order. These assessments are an opportunity to make sure the pest management programs within a facility are working and if corrective actions need to be taken, they are being done promptly and that they are documented.
What do QA managers need to prepare for their year-end assessment? The Sprague Pest Experts encourage clients to keep these key points in mind:
Keep Good Documentation – Accurate and detailed documentation is the only way to verify that the proper pest management processes are being done, when they are being done and what methods are being used to achieve them. If you do not have the proper documentation third-party auditors can view it as a sign the corrective action or program requirements did not happen. This will leave your facility vulnerable to receiving a poor audit score or even failing the audit. The Sprague Pest Experts will go over your documentation during your year-end review and let you if something is missing.
Types of Documentation – What documentation is needed for your program review and, more importantly, an audit? Key documents include:
o An overview of the pest program in place, which is responsible for doing what and what pests are being targeted.
o Service reports listing details on each service visit including date, time and what service was provided.
o Pesticide usage logs detailing what products were used, where and when they were used, the active ingredient and what type of pests were targeted.
o Maps/layouts of where pest control devices are located; keeping these updated is important.
o Pest sighting logs that your staff uses whenever they see a pest within the facility; be sure to include the time, date and location of the sighting.
Review Pest Trend Data – With data from pest sighting logs and reports your pest management provider will help you identify pest trends in your facility that require corrective action.
Discuss Corrective Actions – When your pest management service provider makes a recommendation for corrective action it should be noted in a corrective action report. The details of what actions were prescribed and, more importantly, when the corrective actions were taken, should be listed. Following up on corrective actions is a major element in any third-party audit.
Budgeting for 2016 – Year-end is a good time to make sure money is allocated in next year’s budget to make the necessary physical repairs to keep pests out. This can include replacing exterior and loading dock doors, installing new screening for HVAC units and considering installing bird deterrents such as netting and spikes. New FSMA regulations and third-party audit standards place a heavy emphasis on pest exclusion and that starts with protecting your facility’s physical well-being.