What is a hygienic clean area or clean room?
What is a hygienic clean area or clean room?
Hygienic clean area or clean room, what is it and why is it useful to have a clean room process in the food processing industry?
This is a very clean room or work environment specifically designed to minimise or even eliminate contamination during the production process.
Contamination can be caused by dust or fibres, airborne micro-organisms, fine dust, droplets or (chemical) vapours.
Increasingly strict quality requirements
Cleanrooms are known from the development of semiconductors or medicines, or from laboratories or the biotechnology sector.
Controlled environments protect processes in biology industries, solar cell production and space travel. Recently, cleanrooms are more popular then ever in the food industry, to extend or guarantee the shelf life of fresh product and to create the ideal environment for processing foods that have to be lactose- or gluten-free.
Increasingly strict quality requires in many industries more stringent ambient conditions during production. So companies need to produce in a controlled environment. That is why the use of cleanrooms has increased enormously in recent years.
Several procedures possible
Employees in a controlled environment require to adhere to strict precautionary measures. Depending on the sector/company specific regulations, the procedures concerning cleanrooms differ regarding their use as well as entering and leaving them.
Wearing specific clothing, hairnets, overshoes, mouth masks, etc. is described in a protocol.
The air in the cleanroom is continuously replenished and filtered to remove internal contamination. Temperature and humidity are also closely monitored to ensure an optimal climate.
Cleanrooms in the food processing industry
Food processing companies gain by using a clean as possible production space. A filter and/or ventilation system completely seals controlled environments off from the rest of a production facility. Before air is pumped into the room it is filtered to remove dust, mould, mildew and bacteria.
Usually cleanrooms with full stainless steel cladding are the choice in the food industry. Controlled environments with ISO Class 6, 7 or 8 (according to international cleanroom standard ISO 14644) are the most commonly used.
Controlled environments classification
By bringing a cleanroom at a production facility or company into use is determining the right ISO classification. This classification from ISO-1 to ISO-9 is determined on the basis of air purity, depending on the quantity and size of the particles per volume of air expressed in ppm (parts per million). An ISO-1 cleanroom has the highest degree of cleanliness, while an ISO-9 cleanroom has the lowest.
The volume of air filtered in one hour divided by the volume of the room gives the number of air replenishments per hour. The more often the air passes through the filters, the fewer particles remain in the room.
Right approach
Most contamination in cleanrooms starts with the employees themselves. Dead skin cells and hair fragments are continually shed from our bodies. Reduce this to a minimum, by having suitable clothing to enter the controlled environment of a controlled environment.
Otherwise, all the effort and expense of maintaining your cleanroom will be in vain. This requires a well-designed changing room, good cleanroom clothing and a strict clothing procedure.
BOONS FIS also provides all possible elements to equip the changing rooms for this purpose, which includes lockers, storage cupboards, benches with compartments for shoes, etc. Designed with hygiene in mind. See the complete range of stainless steel cleanroom equipment on our website.
Practical tip
When dressing, always start from the top and work your way down. The order in which you dress directly affects cleanliness; gravity also has an influence on dust, particles and soiling. A head to toe procedure (in that order) protects against particles falling onto clean garments or shoe covers.
Strict personal hygiene
Food processing companies use a range of control systems. Investing in a well-equipped hygiene lock is simply a must fot personal hygiene.
Strict personal hygiene is crucial in sectors like greenhouse cultivation, packaging, and livestock farming. It is a key component of the hygiene plan within the HACCP system.
Steps for a good hygiene process, offered by BOONS FIS
01. Soap hands
Make soaping hands compulsory in a fully furnished hygiene lock. Otherwise, you can use a soap dispenser with turnstile (HDK, HDK/XL) to making soaping compulsory and the user washes their hands afterwards.
Step 2 is then also guaranteed. A small soap dispenser (automatic or manual) can be sufficient for smaller production spaces with lower numbers of people.
02. Wash hands
After the soaped hands, they must be thoroughly washed, which is important to avoid contamination. Hence all washtroughs from BOONS FIS are fitted with operating devices whereby the hands do not touch the taps (knee push-button, sensor at knee height or sensor in the tap).
Find more details about this on the washbasins and wash troughs product pages.
03. Dry hands
After washing the hands, they must be thoroughly dried by using paper tissues, with an automatic hand dryer or with the Dyson Airblade Wash+Dry tap.
The automatic hand dryer has a whole lot of advantages such as fewer logistical obligations, extremely fast drying, no overflowing paper bins, etc.
04. Hand disinfection and sole cleaning
Disinfection follows thorough cleaning. A hygiene station is often chosen in which both stages (hand disinfection + sole cleaning and disinfection) are combined as with the best-selling URK hygiene station.
The robust and durable turnstile only gives access when the user has correctly followed the cleaning procedure.
The correct cleaning procedure consists of two stages:
- Hand disinfection with the stainless steel nozzles in the disinfection chambers.
- Cleaning and disinfecting the soles with the rotating horizontal brushes (vertical brushes are an option when boots are worn in your production environment).
05. Determining the exit flow
Exit flow and internal routing are key considerations in food processing facilities. Do employees use the same route to exit production areas, or should a separate exit flow be implemented? Depending on factors such as the number of employees, budget, and facility layout, a separate exit flow with dedicated turnstiles may be required.
Want to optimise your facility with a hygiene lock? Contact our sales team to explore the best solutions for your needs.
Feel free to contact us.
As a specialist in industrial hygiene within the food sector, BOONS FIS is ready to support you in developing and implementing effective food safety strategies that are in line with the latest regulations and best practices.
Do you have another question? Please contact us through the contact form.