Rule 901:11-2-20 | Buildings.
The building or buildings shall be of sound construction and shall be kept in good repair to prevent the entrance or harborage of rodents, birds, insects, vermin, and other animals. Any openings around service pipes through outside walls shall be effectively sealed around the openings or sealed with tight metal collars.
(A) All openings to the outer air including doors, windows, skylights, and transoms shall be effectively protected or screened to prevent the entrance of flies and other insects, rodents, birds, dust, and dirt. All outside doors opening into processing rooms shall be in good condition and fit properly. All hinged, outside screen doors shall open outward. All doors shall be tight-fitting and self-closing. All doors and windows shall be kept clean and in good repair. Outside conveyor openings and other special-type outside openings shall be effectively protected to prevent the entrance of flies and rodents by means of doors, screens, flaps, fans, or tunnels. Outside openings for sanitary pipelines shall be covered when not in use. On new construction, window sills should be slanted downward at an angle of forty-five degrees.
(B) The walls, ceilings, partitions, posts of rooms in which milk or dairy products are processed, manufactured, handled, packaged, or stored (except dry storage of packaged finished products and supplies) or in which utensils are washed and stored, shall have a smooth finish with a suitable material of light color, which is substantially impervious to moisture and shall be kept clean. These surfaces shall be refinished as often as necessary to maintain a neat, clean surface.
(C) Floors:
(1) The floors of all rooms in which milk or dairy products are processed, manufactured, packaged, or stored or in which utensils are washed shall be constructed of tile properly laid with impervious joint material, concrete, or other equally impervious material. The floors shall be smooth, kept in good repair, and graded so that there will be no pools of standing water or milk products after flushing. Drains shall be equipped with traps properly constructed and shall be kept in good repair. On new construction, bell-type traps shall not be used. The plumbing shall be installed to prevent the backup of sewage into the drain lines and onto the floor of the plant.
(2) Sound, smooth wood floors which can be kept clean may be used in rooms where new containers, supplies and designated packaged finished products are stored.
(D) Lighting and ventilation:
(1) Light shall be ample and well distributed. All rooms in which dairy products are manufactured or packaged or where utensils are washed shall have at least thirty foot-candles of light intensity on all working surfaces and at least fifty foot-candles of light intensity in areas where dairy products are graded or examined for condition and quality. In all other rooms, there shall be at least five foot-candles of light intensity when measured at a distance of thirty inches from the floor. Where contamination of product by broken glass is possible, light bulbs, fluorescent tubes, skylights, or other fixtures over the product shall be protected against breakage.
(2) There shall be adequate heating, ventilation, or air conditioning in all to facilitate maintenance of sanitary conditions. Exhaust or inlet fans, vents, hoods, or temperature and humidity control facilities shall be provided as needed to minimize or eliminate undesirable room temperatures, objectionable odors, moisture condensation, or have an atmosphere relatively free from mold (not exceeding ten mold colonies per cubic foot of air). Inlet fans shall be screened and should be provided with an adequate air filtering device to eliminate dirt and dust from incoming air. Ventilation systems shall be cleaned periodically and shall be maintained in good repair. Exhaust outlets shall be screened or be provided with self-closing louvers to prevent the entrance of insects when not in use.
(E) Rooms in which any raw materials, packaging materials, ingredient supplies, or dairy products are handled, manufactured, packaged, or stored shall be designed, constructed, and maintained to assure desirable room temperatures and enhance clean, orderly operating conditions free from objectionable odors and vapors. Enclosed bulk milk receiving rooms when present shall be separated from the processing rooms by a partition. Rooms for receiving can milk shall be separated from processing rooms by a partition (partial or complete), by suitable arrangement of equipment, or by allowing enough distance between receiving and processing operations to avoid possible contamination of milk or dairy products during manufacturing and handling. Processing rooms shall be kept free from equipment and materials which are not routinely used.
(1) Coolers and freezers used for storage of dairy products shall be clean, reasonably dry and maintained at proper uniform temperature and humidity levels by providing adequate circulation of air at all times to protect the product and minimize mold growth. Coolers and freezers shall be free from rodents, insects and pests. Shelves shall be kept clean and dry. Refrigeration units shall have provisions for the collection and disposal of condensate.
(2) Supply rooms used for the storage of packaging materials, containers, and miscellaneous ingredients shall be kept clean, dry, orderly, free from insects, rodents, and mold and maintained in good repair. Such items stored therein shall be adequately protected from dust, dirt, or other extraneous matter and so arranged on racks, shelves, or pallets to permit access to the supplies and to permit cleaning and inspection of the room. Insecticides, rodenticides, cleaning compounds, and other nonfood products shall be properly labeled and segregated, and stored in a separate room or cabinet away from milk, dairy products, ingredients, or packaging supplies.
(3) Boiler and tool rooms shall be separated from other rooms where milk and dairy products are processed, manufactured, packaged, handled, or stored. Such rooms shall be kept orderly and reasonably free from dust and dirt.
(4) Toilet and dressing room facilities shall be conveniently located to all processing operations.
(a) Toilet rooms shall not open directly into any room in which milk or dairy products are processed, manufactured, packaged or stored. Doors shall be self-closing. Ventilation shall be provided by mechanical means or by screened openings to the outer air. Fixtures including but not limited to toilet stools, sinks, lights and lockers, shall be kept clean and in good repair.
(b) If employees are furnished with a locker or other storage facility, the lockers or other storage facilities shall be kept clean and orderly. Adequate hand-washing facilities shall be provided as specified in paragraph (B) of rule 901:11-2-21 of the Administrative Code. Durable, legible signs shall be posted conspicuously in each toilet or locker room directing employees to wash their hands before returning to work.
(5) Adequate sanitary facilities shall be provided for the handling of starter cultures.
Last updated February 6, 2024 at 9:58 AM
Supplemental Information