Top 10 Sanitation and Maintenance Strategies to Prevent Pests

7. Inspect. Strive to improve access to equipment that is difficult to reach for regular inspection, opening, and cleaning.

8. Manage landscaping. Landscaping has definite negative impacts. Lush vegetation, ground covers, fruiting or nut trees, vegetation too close to buildings (actual contact equals ant bridges), and bark mulch on ornamental planting beds near entrances are common issues. Ideally a plant site should be “attractively barren” with well-maintained grounds, a gravel sanitation border surrounding the buildings, and gravel mulch if there must be bushes near an office entrance. Bark mulch is a perfect rodent harborage, and harborage for a number of insect invaders. The only place for a rodent to hide around the exterior of a food plant should be a bait box or trap!

9. Work closely with the maintenance department. Some of the greatest pest management success stories hinge on the involvement of maintenance departments understanding the value of exclusion and harborage elimination. The backdoor to maintenance shops is often the worst offender for letting pests in due to being propped open. Maintenance storage areas are often hotspots for rodents because they are cluttered, dimly lit, and quiet. Avoid pests by keeping the maintenance storage areas neat and well lit, keeping materials and hardware off the floor and capping pipes and wrap items so openings do not become dirty harborages.

Training and explanations of the process for identifying deficiencies and tracking corrective actions are very helpful. Working with a maintenance person to fix miscellaneous gaps, leaks, and entries into harborages could have a much better return on investment than many pesticide applications. Prioritize the corrective actions where maintenance needs to be involved.

10. Do the right thing. Food safety is deadly serious, and a company can face enormous losses from recalls or bad publicity associated with a product quality or safety issue. Sanitarians have the insight to recognize conditions and practices that cannot be tolerated, or products that may not be fit to be shipped. Be brave and do the right thing. It may not be popular to squelch production or somebody’s shortcut but report potential food safety problems to higher management and do your part to protect the brand.

The Outside Influences

In addition to these tactics, there are other outside influences that can increase your chances of experiencing a pest infestation.

• Avoid standing water. It provides essential needs for mosquitoes, rats, flying insects, and moisture conditions favorable to pests.
• Waste containers and handling systems near doors often present irresistible attractions to many pest species, and it is no wonder a certain number gain entry, even if only by accident. Wastes need to be adequately contained away from buildings, and waste receptacles should be closed tightly and/or cleaned of waste and spillage.
• Outdoor storage areas need to be managed properly. Store dead equipment in sanitary conditions—off the ground, cleaned, capped pipes, etc. Make sure that contractors’ supplies are stored in a manner they will not be vehicles for pest introduction. Also, avoid trash or junk directly outside your facility.
• Neighboring facilities and environments contribute to pest pressure too. Junkyards can harbor rodents; farms and livestock facilities can be the source of fly pressure; various pests might be associated with neighboring woodlands, wetlands, and aquatic habitats; several neighbors could contribute to roach pressure; and grain elevators, railroad facilities, and other food processors could contribute their own pest complexes.

Another proactive approach to preventative and pest management is to work with a pest management professional (PMP) who is knowledgeable about food processing. A PMP can identify the most critical risks to a particular facility and the most feasible management approach. Working with a skilled PMP is a key asset in today’s audit-rich environment—they can easily provide the necessary documentation and communications to help you meet or exceed standards. Having a trained set of eyes will be valuable for ongoing inspections, monitoring for conducive conditions, and developing pest situations.