A Guide to Your Facility’s Pest Control Hot Spots

Staying on top of maintenance and sanitation is a constant challenge — especially when it comes to food safety. So we’ve teamed up with NSF International to provide a series of free tips that can help ensure your facility is protected from head to toe against pests and the diseases they can carry.

As a reminder, all of this information and more is available on MyAuditPrep.com. Sign up for free, and you' ll get tips – specific to your audit standard – emailed straight to your inbox as you count down the days leading up to your auditor’s next visit. (You can also learn more about food safety audit requirements specifically related to the Food Safety Modernization Act, download our free special report.)

Here’s a sample of some tips we provide around preparing for the facility walk-through portion of your next audit:

• Exterior – Make sure all landscaping is mowed and trimmed, and that the outdoor premises are free of litter, weeds, pallets and other clutter that may provide harborage or breeding places for insects, birds, rodents and other pests. Also, work with your landscaping team to create a gravel perimeter of at least 18 inches or more around the entire perimeter of your facility.
• Entrances & Windows – Check all external windows and ventilation openings to ensure they are effectively sealed when closed and proofed against dust. All doors, including overhead doors, should have a tight seal with no visible light observed between the floor and doorjambs.
• Interior – Check the inside walls to ensure they're clear and clean to allow for proper inspection. Any spilled or damaged products or ingredients should be cleaned up or disposed of immediately to help prevent pest attraction.
• Traps & Monitoring Devices – Ensure all traps and monitoring devices are strategically placed based on the recommendations of your pest management professional. Regularly check and clean the monitoring devices. Light traps should be installed in a way that doesn't attract insects to the facility.
• Bird & Wildlife Control – Birds should be controlled by exclusion using nets, traps and other appropriate structural modifications. Any bird activity, corrective actions and results should be noted as part of the in-depth facility documentation.

To start receiving free, custom tips like these from the experts, sign up now. Plus, you can check out the first blog post in this series on how to avoid poor documentation in audited food facilities.

If you're hungry for more about the latest in food safety audits, check out our Special Report about the Food Safety Modernization Act.

Want more? You might also like:

Facility Check-Up: Pest Management and Sanitation During COVID-19

The global COVID-19 pandemic brought operations for many businesses to an abrupt halt, and those that continued to operate likely experienced lower production or disrupted schedules. Balancing the delicate requirements of proper sanitation, and peace of mind for customers and employees, now constitu …

Keep Reading »

Checklist: Integrated Pest Management for Essential Businesses During COVID-19

If your business is designated as an essential service provider and is operating during the COVID-19 pandemic, you’re probably already facing a lot of pressure. Between maintaining a hygienic environment, making a profit and providing good service, pest management may not be top of mind. But whether …

Keep Reading »

How Food Processing Managers Should Document Pest Management Activity

Part of helping maintain a pest-free food processing facility involves tracking your Integrated Pest Management (IPM) efforts. For managers, this means having the right documentation on hand to monitor trend data and determine whether changes to the program are necessary. While this documentation is …

Keep Reading »