INDICE DEGLI ARGOMENTI

• Reference standard
• Healt autorisation
• HACCP
• Structural requirements
• General personnel hygiene conditions
• Equipment safety conditions
• Pest controls
• Micro-Organisms in flour
• Traceability

EQUIPMENT SAFETY CONDITIONS

1 – Working machines.
When developing the working machines, designers must ensure they are ergonomic (they must be free from spikes and sharp edges, and must be quick and easy to use), easy to clean or, preferably, that they do not get particularly dirty, and select materials such that the quantity of particles (splinters, micro-elements, ions) shed by the during operation is minimal.
The machine shall be fitted with protection devices that interrupt operation when activated, thus increasing the safety level. The active protection devices are connected to breaker switches that block the machine moving parts when, for example, they are lifted or removed in order to access hazardous parts of the machine (such as the mixer blades).
The protection devices must not be removed under any circumstance, even if they make the work a little more difficult.

2 – The oven.
To ensure that they are efficient, the oven heaters must be properly ventilated. There must also be a correctly dimensioned chimney flue, with good draught for discharging combustion gases.
Given the dangerous nature of this type of fuel, gas oven burners must be fitted with extra safety systems: in fact, there are not one, but two safety valves that prevent gas from escaping when the oven is off, or when some unforeseen event takes place.
It is always worth remembering that there is an additional gas tap located outside the premises that can be used to prevent gas escaping.
If it is necessary to install an alarm, there are a number of commercially available gas detectors that emit an audible alarm if there is any gas present in the atmosphere.
However, it is always advisable to carry out periodic checks on the burners, and the entire system to ensure they are working efficiently, and install fire extinguishers, which must also be checked regularly, in the vicinity of the ovens.

3 – The electrical system.
The electrical system must conform to the requirements of the legal regulations. This means that all the equipment must be connected to an efficient earthing system so that any electrical discharges flow directly to earth.
All electrical lines must be fitted with differential breakers that, when activated, interrupt the electrical circuit when an electrical phase is accidentally connected to earth.
It is also necessary to install breakers on the electrical lines upstream of the system that interrupt the electricity supply if the current reaches excessive levels, as this could cause lines to fuse resulting in fire or shock hazards.
However, the golden rule for avoiding accidents at work is always to observe the equipment and machinery safety regulations and to ensure that personnel are properly trained so that they do not attempt to remove safety devices in order to save time, for example, and that, above all, they always ensure machinery is stationary before carrying out any kind of operation on it, and never attempt to perform operations reserved for specialised technical staff.