Pest Management Professional, March 2010

them verbally what youre doing and why When you need their help youll get it because youre someone they know not just the bug guy or gal Some PMPs prefer to keep a low profile showing up for service and getting it done without bothering anyone This is the wrong approach Get to know as many people as possible in your food accounts and get in front of them often You need their support and they need your counsel Know the Rules Nothing hurts your credibility more than showing up in a processing area without a hairnet or with your shirt pockets full of pens or without plant required safety equipment Take off your wristwatch and any other jewelry and remove everything from any pockets above your waist before entering the plant Wear a smock hair and beard nets bump cap safety glasses and hearing protection as required Make sure your clothes are neat and clean Follow the same safety rules your clients employees must obey pertaining to confined spaces working above floor level and lockout tagout Find out what inspection agencies visit the facility for third party audits which standards they inspect to and familiarize yourself with those inspection standards This will enable you to know whether your companys program is set up in such a way that it will pass muster or whether the program needs to be adjusted Equip Yourself Psychologist Abraham Maslow said If the only tool you have is a hammer you tend to see every problem as a nail If the only tools you bring into a food plant service are a flashlight and a Swiss Army knife those are the only tools youll use Stock a durable case or a belt pouch hard side or nylon soft side with inspection tools such as a flashlight plastic lens extra sticky traps spatula with metal or plastic handle polished steel inspection mirror not glass collection vials or Petri dishes plastic not glass and a pocket magnifier plastic lens Include a multi tool with screwdriver attachments so that you can remove drain grates and other impediments to a thorough inspection Around machinery or electrical controls never remove access covers without plant approval and full lockout tag out precautions Carry a notebook and steel barreled pen detectable by magnet in case it falls into processing or packaging equipment so that you can make notes of significant findings and what you do about them Know where to access the ladders youll need in order to see all of the above floor level inspection points youll have to inspect lighting fixtures ceiling support beams and trusses overhead electrical busses tops of machinery Ask if the facility offers safety training for elevated work platforms so that you can use your clients lifts when you need them You doubtless have your own list of favorite inspection tools and to some extent the nature of your accounts dictates the equipment youll need The point is you must bring the tools you need in with you or youll struggle without them A side benefit of having and carrying an organized kit of inspection tools is that your clients will see you are a professional who means business increasing their confidence in you Know the Process Starting upstream raw materials receiving and proceeding downstream shipping ask someone to walk through the plants entire process stream with you describing all processes involved in the operation of the plant Learn the name of each piece of equipment what it does and what pest risks are associated with it Learn where the killing steps are cookers ovens insect entoleters etc and where pests are likeliest to show up if present sifters dead ends of screw conveyors equipment with flaws that make machines hard to clean properly Carry this principle out beyond the walls of the plant and learn where raw ingredients and packaging materials are sourced how they are transported where unused pallets are stored and how the finished product is stored and shipped Every food facility has its own codes for recording receipt dates for raw ingredients and production dates for finished product Learn how to read these codes ask the client so that you can recognize old ingredients or finished products when you see them as you inspect Communicate Write neat informative service reports that tell your client every time you perform service What you did today What you found What you plan to do to follow up on todays findings and activity What you need your client to do Be brief but tell them something meaningful Remember if you dont tell your client in writing what you did its exactly the same in their mind as if you didnt do anything As electronic record keeping becomes more prevalent continued on next page www mypmp net MARCH 2010 PEST MANAGEMENT PROFESSIONAL 63