FOCUS FOOD & BEVERAGE
beverage industry, businesses can focus on building positive awareness of their brands. They can retain the trust of the UK’s big supermarkets, safe in the knowledge that their quality operations are watertight, easily auditable and not open to manipulation or falsification of records. What MES offers that pen and paper cannot is an operator interface that alerts shop floor staff when a check is due. This is a key element in providing site-wide visibility into quality operations, while supporting escalation and alerting routines that ensure the right person knows at the right time whenever a quality issue arises.
CULTURAL PROBLEMS Admittedly, it is not the process itself that is to blame for the systemic mislabelling of food. Rather, as indicated by the encouragement of malpractice by supervisors, some companies appear to have a cultural problem. However, enforcement of good manufacturing practices is all the more difficult with a paper-based system that opens the door to manipulation and sloppiness. An electronic system alone will not solve the problem but it does provide operational transparency and offers management the visibility needed to enforce best practice. Companies can actively manage and prevent the risks of poorly managed
CALL TO SWAP PLASTIC FOR ALUMINIUM
quality operations to their reputations by implementing the right system to suit their needs. It is a task that should not be approached lightly. But the pitfalls are miniscule compared to the potentially massive negative consequences on a business wishing to simply (and wrongly) maintain the status quo. Doing what you have always done is the enemy of progress, whether that means improving the quality of food safety in your factories or driving great results within your business. Implementing a quality system may seem like an undertaking without a measurable ROI but it’s a small price to pay to avoid being at the centre of the next food safety scandal.
Aptean T: 01604 614 100
www.aptean.com
Doing what you have always done is the enemy of progress, whether that means improving the quality of food safety in your factories or driving great results within your business
News of China’s ban on the import of plastic scrap has raised concerns for many businesses in Britain. Aluminium food packaging manufacturer Advanta is calling for food manufacturers to address the problem at the source. In September 2017 Sri Lanka announced a ban on single use plastic and Kenya implemented what is said to be the world’s toughest plastic bag ban earlier in the year,” said Miguel Campos, export sales manager for Advanta. “The Environment Management Agency in Zimbabwe has ordered the food industry to stop using containers made from expanded polystyrene (EPS) immediately. These initiatives have arisen from a growing difficulty in disposing of waste plastic. According to the European Aluminium
Foil Association (Alufoil) aluminium not only provides an absolute barrier against moisture, light and oxygen to keep food fresh for longer, it saves far more resources than are consumed in its production throughout the supply chain. In addition, 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use thanks to its repeatable recyclability.
www.advantapack.com IMPROVED TRAINING AND MONITORING TO DRIVE H&S STANDARDS
With the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) recently announcing a concerted effort to address workplace health risks in the food manufacturing sector, Bureau Veritas has revealed that improving training and monitoring will be key to elevating health and safety standards across the industry. In January, HSE informed the food manufacturing sector that it will be conducting surprise inspections in the coming weeks, urging businesses in the sector to pay closer attention to how they manage workplace health risks or face serious penalties. The inspections are aimed at tackling the two main causes of workplace illnesses in the sector: occupational asthma from exposure to flour dust in bakeries, cake and biscuit manufacturers and grain mills; and musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) - predominantly lower back pain and upper limb disorders from manual handling activities and repetitive tasks. Emma Cartwright, food sector lead at
Bureau Veritas, said: “The recent HSE warning that the regulator will be conducting impromptu inspections looking at how well businesses are managing their workplace health risks, makes it a compelling time for food manufacturers to review their current
8 FEBRUARY/MARCH 2018 | IRISH MANUFACTURING
systems and adopt best practice in order to boost health and safety standards across the board. The increasing number of reports of MSDs can often be due to a lack of training in manual handling and minimal job rotation within food manufacturing roles. As a result, this can have a financial impact on businesses due to increased levels of sickness and compensation claims being submitted. “The significant rise in work related asthma cases being reported, especially in individuals that are in contact with flour dust, means that such exposure is now the UK’s second most common cited cause of occupational asthma,” said Cartwright.
For Bureau Veritas, the key to tackling
One of the main causes of workplace illnesses in the sector is occupational asthma from exposure to flour dust in bakeries
the incidence of workplace illnesses is through adopting a long-term best practice programme of improved training and monitoring. “First and foremost, it’s imperative for businesses to get their training right,” said Cartwright. “Implementing and maintaining a system that regularly carries out ergonomic assessments of working areas and properly teaches employees invaluable manual handing techniques, can go a long way in limiting the incidence of MSDs, not only by ensuring that employees are working safely but for the correct durations. “For food manufacturers looking to better manage the levels of dust within the working environment, we advise a tailored monitoring solution that produces regular and detailed reports aimed at helping employers manage the air conditions within the workplace. Alongside this, we carry out DSEAR assessments to help eliminate explosion risks associated with dust levels. As the industry faces greater scrutiny, now is the perfect time for companies to review their current health and systems and look at ways to better protect their employees’ health.”
www.bureauveritas.co.uk / IRISHMANUFACTURING
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