Hygiene is an important aspect of any production
The term derives from the name of the Greek goddess of health (Hygieia). Hygiene practices are utilized as precautionary measures, reducing the spreading and occurrence of disease, to assure the preservation of health. Especially in the food manufacturing industry, good hygiene is a key part of quality assurance. Standards in different facilities, processes and cultures can vary.
The terms cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation are often confused. We can describe good hygiene as placing the highest standards of cleanliness together with proactive preventative measures, regular monitoring and continuous improvement programs. Many of the systems that follow the mentioned principle are required by regulators across the entire food chain, for example Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), Good Hygienic Practices (GHPs), Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point (HACCP) systems and are often supplemented by industry Codes of Practice. They are also formalised into a management system, which can be independently verified and certified to international standards such ISO.
Cleaning should not be confused with disinfection (the reduction of residual microbial contamination to an acceptable level). Trying to disinfect a dirty surface is a waste of time and money. The primary purpose of cleaning is the removal of residues (may cause direct or indirect harm and are often considered as chemical, physical or biological hazards) from product contact surfaces and its environs. Visual assessment of cleanliness is very subjective and can only detect macroscopic defects and gross lapses in practice, however, microbiological methods are often complex, expensive and time consuming, which is inappropriate for the production of many foods with short shelf lives.
Good hygienic practices prevent risks from foreign body hazards and cross contamination, assure safety and quality, improve shelf life, product recall and prevent food poisoning, which could lead to damage to the brand that could cost millions and can be very difficult to recover from. They also help to reduce wastage and maintenance costs, while optimisation of cleaning processes diminishes chemical, water, energy and effluent costs and minimises the environmental impact.
Proper hygiene
In the time when we are facing new threats from the world of microbes and viruses, good hygiene practices are gaining heavily on their importance, not that there was ever a time when they were redundant.
Workers often forget their personal obligation to the workplace where they spend 25 to 30% of their time. The fact is that any ill-effect to health, safety, well-being, environment, society, that should arise out of process/operations/installations of the industry, can be prevented by the concerned management, but when it comes to the personal cleanliness, hygiene and sanitation, we all must all contribute in full measures. Our aim is to stay fit and healthy, both at our workplaces, and at home.
Spending more time at work makes us more responsible to follow some standards, as there are more people to spread germs and infections. With some good hygiene practices, both, employees and employers, can contribute towards maintaining good hygiene and sanitation. For example, employers can supply healthy drinking water for the workers. At the toilets and washrooms, they should provide good cleaning materials like hand sanitizers, tissues etc. There should be clearly set rules for maintaining and using shared facilities and arrangement of regular pest control activities. Sick employees should not be forced to come to work, as this could put other employees at risk. Employees are to maintain good personal hygiene, such as maintaining clean and odourless body, wearing clean clothes, maintaining clean nails, dental hygiene, preventing bad breath, washing hands after using toilet/sneezing/touching anything dirty, keeping workstation clean, etc. Harmful microbes may be present at keyboards, sink/door handles, dispensers, computer mice, desk-phones, etc., so the employees should also use disinfectant to clean the desk area.
Hygiene systems
Nieros fully comprehensive industrial hygiene solutions are designed for all production areas with great risk of contamination, food processing industry in particular. Their industrial hygiene equipment, hygiene stations and hygiene systems pose a great solution for a clean and sterile work environment, covering your sanitary needs at every stage of the production process. They are reliable and have a long life span, due to their construction in high-quality stainless steel. Nieros cleaning machines keep your work equipment and personal protective equipment perfectly clean and in the same time establish proper hygiene practices for the personnel entering the production area. They are highly efficient, cost-effective, sustainable, user-friendly and easy to maintain.
Hygiene technologies
There is a big difference between hand sanitation at home and at work. The responsibility to prevent any risk to public health is much greater and more present in any business or company. That is why taking full advantage of the latest hygiene technologies is a good idea. Which ones you will chose of course depends on the type of your business. Nieros personnel is fully aware of the various needs and scales of different businesses, so the company offers compact all-in-one sanitising stations (footwear cleaning and drying stations), changing room equipment, low pressure cleaning systems, sterilizers for working equipment and separate components such as washbasins, hand dryers, automatic soap dispensers, waste basket stations, paper towel dispensers, etc.
