Staff Facilities Management Procedure

Control changing facilities and access into operational areas

Designated changing facilities are required for employees, visitors and contractors entering production, packing or storage areas. The procedure requires these facilities to be available before entry and located so personnel can move directly into operational areas without passing through external areas wherever the site layout allows.

Where direct internal access cannot be achieved because of site constraints, Technical Management carries out a structured risk assessment of the contamination risk created by the external transit route. Additional operational controls are introduced where the assessment identifies a need, with Operations Management responsible for ensuring that those arrangements are implemented and followed.

Within the changing area, storage capacity must be sufficient for personal belongings and arranged to separate outdoor garments and personal items from production clothing. Clean production clothing is also kept separate from used or contaminated production clothing, preserving the hygiene distinction between clothing ready for operational use and garments that have already been worn.

Provide fully equipped hand-washing facilities at the points of need

Hand-washing stations are required at production access points and at other suitable locations within production zones where personnel activities require routine hand washing. Facilities Management is responsible for maintaining the number, location and operational availability of these stations.

The procedure specifies visible hand-washing signs, an adequate supply of water at a suitable temperature, taps that can be operated without direct hand contact, liquid or foam soap, and either single-use towels or suitably designed air driers. Where water-supply infrastructure fails or is defective, repair and restoration are managed through the Maintenance Management Procedure, while the Personal Hygiene Procedure governs the personnel behaviours associated with hand washing.

Keep toilets and staff welfare activities separated from production

Toilet facilities are required to remain physically segregated from production and packing areas, with access arranged so toilet doors do not open directly into those spaces. Hand-washing facilities within or immediately adjacent to toilets must provide basins, soap, water at a suitable temperature, hand drying and advisory signage before personnel return to operational areas.

The procedure also controls personal food brought onto site. Where staff bring food with them, suitable hygienic storage is provided when Site Management determines that it is required, and dedicated welfare areas are provided away from production operations where personnel need to prepare or consume food. This keeps personal-food storage and consumption within defined staff-facility arrangements rather than production environments.

Allocate responsibility for facility condition and hygienic use

Responsibility is distributed across the functions that provide, oversee and use staff facilities. Senior management provides the facilities, infrastructure and resources needed for suitable provision. Technical or Quality Management owns the procedure, defines hygiene and contamination-prevention expectations, verifies that facility condition, location and use support hygienic practice, and escalates issues that may compromise hygienic operation or product safety.

Facilities or Engineering Management manages provision, structural condition, operational availability and repairs. Department Managers and Supervisors implement the requirements in their areas, monitor facility use and report deficiencies, while employees are required to use the facilities and established hygiene arrangements correctly and report faults, damage or hygiene concerns.

Inspect condition and connect deficiencies to the right supporting controls

Staff facilities are subject to routine inspection for visible contamination, waste accumulation and other unhygienic conditions. Where deterioration is identified, Facilities Management is responsible for restoring the facilities to a hygienic condition so they can continue to support safe personnel activities.

The procedure keeps related control mechanisms in their proper place within the wider FSQMS. Cleaning and hygienic maintenance are governed by the Housekeeping & Hygiene Procedure; repairs and infrastructure restoration by the Maintenance Management Procedure; personnel hygiene behaviours by the Personal Hygiene Procedure; and relevant training through the Training & Competence Procedure. Where repeated deterioration, control failure or hygiene risks are identified, corrective action is managed through the Corrective & Preventive Action Procedure.

Records generated through implementation may include staff-facility inspection records, maintenance or repair requests, hygiene inspection records and non-conformance or corrective-action records, providing evidence of facility condition and the response to identified deficiencies.

A staff-facilities procedure within the interconnected FSQMS

Within the Food Industry Hub FSQMS Policies and Procedures Suite, this procedure provides the facility-management controls that support hygienic personnel access and welfare arrangements while preserving clear boundaries with the procedures responsible for structural change, maintenance, cleaning, training and personal hygiene.

For technical, quality, facilities and operations teams, it provides a structured way to connect the physical provision of staff facilities with access arrangements, clothing segregation, hand-hygiene infrastructure, sanitary separation, routine condition checks and defined responsibility.