As food manufacturers know, compliance is all about visibility.
Food processing is heavily regulated by federal, state, and international regulations, from OSHA to the U.S. FDA to the Global Food Safety Initiative. Customers also schedule plant visits to make sure the company is performing to their standards.
MPulse CMMS software keeps your team—and your company—on top of regulatory compliance paperwork.
A Food Industry Professional’s Guide to OSHA Standards
Like almost every industry, food manufacturing falls under OSHA 1910, as well as OSHA 1928, which pertains to agriculture. The most cited OSHA standards in food manufacturing include the following.
1910.22 Housekeeping
In the food industry, a clean facility contributes to both food safety and worker safety. A general housekeeping standard that applies to almost all employers, 1910.22 requires…
- All places where people work must be clean, orderly, and sanitary
- Workroom floors must be clean and, if possible, dry
- To facilitate cleaning, floors and workspaces must be kept free of hazards
1910.263: Bakery equipment
OSHA 1910.263 specifies requirements for the design, installation, operation, and maintenance of bakery equipment, as OSHA’s list of combustible agriculture dust includes common types of flour, as well as bakery ingredients like sugar, spices, and cornstarch.
OSHA 1910.263 provides several strategies for reducing the risk associated with flour dusts and other potentially hazardous ingredients, such as…
- Oat flour
- Potato flour
- Rice flour
- Rye flour
- Wheat flour
1910.272: Grain handling facilities
OSHA considers grain handling as a “high hazard industry” because of highly combustible fugitive grain dust. To prevent explosions, OSHA requires careful control of grain dust.
Additional requirements include implementing a preventative maintenance program for equipment, minimizing ignition sources, and properly locating dust collection systems.
1910.307: Hazardous (classified) locations
Any area where there is a fire or explosion risk because of the presence of combustible dusts or other flammable substances is considered a hazardous, or classified, location. OSHA 1910.307 specifies the types of equipment approved for use in various hazardous locations.
Other OSHA Regulations and the Food Industry
In addition to these standards, OSHA publishes several industry-specific standards. For example, these industries include…
- Meat packing
- Poultry processing plants
- Manufacturing of certain food flavorings
In addition to OSHA standards for food manufacturing, maintenance teams must consider quality control and budget constraints along with standard maintenance tasks.
Above all, food processing is a cost-sensitive industry, and OSHA violations in food manufacturing cost money. MPulse can help. Contact us.
