Meat Products (Hygiene) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1997

Part IGeneral Conditions for Approval of Establishments

Establishments shall have at least the following facilities:

1.  Working areas of sufficient size for work to be carried out under adequate hygienic conditions; their design and layout shall be such as to preclude contamination of the raw materials and the products referred to in these Regulations;

2.  In areas where the raw materials are handled and the products referred to in these Regulations are manufactured:

(a)solid, impermeable flooring which is easy to clean and disinfect and laid in such a way as to facilitate the drainage of the water or provided with equipment to remove water;

(b)walls which have smooth surfaces and are easy to clean, durable and impermeable, covered with a light-coloured, washable coating up to a height of at least two metres, or at least storage height in refrigeration and storage rooms;

(c)ceilings or roof linings which are easy to clean;

(d)doors in non-corrodible materials which are easy to clean;

(e)adequate ventilation and, where necessary, good steam and water-vapour extraction facilities in order to eliminate as far as possible condensation on surfaces such as walls and ceilings or roof linings;

(f)adequate natural or artificial lighting;

(g)an adequate number of facilities with hot and cold running water, or water pre-mixed to a suitable temperature, for cleaning and disinfecting hands; in work rooms and lavatories at industrial meat products premises taps shall not be operated by hand contact; these facilities shall be provided with cleaning and disinfecting materials and hygienic means of drying hands;

(h)facilities for cleaning, and disinfecting tools, equipment and utensils;

3.  In rooms where the raw materials and the products covered by these Regulations are stored, the conditions as those at paragraph 2 apply, as appropriate, except that it is sufficient to have—

(a)in chilling and refrigeration rooms, a floor which is laid in such a way as to facilitate the draining of water and is easy to clean and disinfect; and

(b)in freezing and deep-freezing rooms, a floor which is impermeable and rot proof and is easy to clean.

In these cases, a sufficiently powerful refrigeration plant to keep the raw materials and products at any temperature indicated under regulation 11 shall be available.

The use of wooden walls in the rooms referred to in sub-paragraph (b) does not constitute grounds for refusing or revoking approval provided they were built before 1st January 1983.

The capacity of the store rooms shall be adequate to store the raw materials used and the products referred to in these Regulations;

4.  Facilities for hygienic handling and protection of raw materials and non-packaged or wrapped finished products during loading and unloading;

5.  Appropriate arrangements for protection against pests such as insects, rodents and birds;

6.  Instruments and working equipment such as cutting tables, containers, conveyor belts, saws and knives, intended to come into direct contact with raw materials and products are made of corrosion-resistant material and are easy to clean and disinfect;

7.  Special watertight, non-corrodible containers, with lids and fasteners to prevent unauthorised persons from removing unfit material from them, in which to put raw materials or products not intended for human consumption, or a lockable room for such purposes if the quantities are large enough to necessitate this or if they are not removed or destroyed at least once daily. Where such raw materials or products are removed through conduits, these shall be constructed and installed so as to avoid any risk of contamination of the other raw materials or products;

8.  Appropriate facilities for the cleaning and disinfecting of equipment and utensils: for disinfecting equipment and utensils, water of a temperature of not less than 82°C, or another disinfection method acceptable to the enforcement authority, must be used;

9.  A waste water disposal system which meets hygiene requirements;

10.  A supply of potable water; the use of non-potable water being restricted to steam production, fire fighting and refrigeration equipment, provided that the pipes installed for this purpose preclude the use of this water for other purposes and present no direct or indirect risk of contamination of the product; non-potable water pipes shall be clearly distinguished from those used for potable water;

11.  At industrial meat products premises an appropriate number of changing rooms with smooth, waterproof washable walls and floors, at non-industrial meat products premises an appropriate number of lockers and at both descriptions of premises an appropriate number of wash basins and flush lavatories. The latter must not open directly on to the work rooms. Wash basins shall be equipped for hand-washing and have hygienic means of drying hands; wash-basin taps at industrial meat products premises shall not be operable by hand contact;

12.  If the volume of products treated requires frequent or permanent presence of the enforcement authority, an adequately equipped lockable room for their exclusive use: where the enforcement authority is not required to be present at all times, this requirement will be satisfied by the provision of a lockable device of sufficient capacity for storage of equipment and materials;

13.  A room or a secure place for the storage of detergents, disinfectants and similar substances;

14.  A room or cupboard for storing cleaning and maintenance material;

15.  Adequate facilities for cleaning and disinfecting means of transport. However, similar facilities not situated in the establishment may be used with the agreement of the enforcement authority; and

16.  Where the treatment applied requires the absence of water for manufacture of the products, the requirement of paragraph 2(a) that either the flooring be laid in such a way as to facilitate the drainage of water or equipment to remove water be provided, and all the requirements of paragraph 2(g), shall not apply to the part of the establishment in which that treatment takes place, provided that facilities satisfying the requirements of paragraph 2(g) are provided elsewhere in the establishment.

Where advantage is taken of this derogation, cleaning and disinfecting processes acceptable to the enforcement authority which do not make use of water may be applied in the parts of the establishment to which this paragraph applies.