Warehouse Cleaning and Personnel

Warehouse Cleaning is a necessary and primary function for keeping licensed pharmaceutical premises clean and in compliance with Good Distribution Practice.
Autumn brings leaves and dust, Winter brings water and dirt, Spring brings more water and dust, while summer introduces even more dust! Dust is highly penetrative, if left to accumulate for too long. And of course, people need to eat and drink.

Maintenance

Keeping licensed premises clean and hygienic to a standard that meets GDP compliance, is an ongoing task: It is relentless and unforgiving. It is not an operation that should be engaged lightly.
Consider the floor: If it’s dusty, a large sheet of cardboard or panelling flopping onto the floor will throw up a considerable amount of dust which will settle over a large area, including upon the stock you expect customers to receive. Stock may become contaminated.

The only way to deal with the ingress of dirt, water, salt and debris correctly and efficiently, is to establish a clear and systematic Warehouse Cleaning procedure with your cleaning team, whether they are dedicated full time, or allocated members of your staff, operating on a rota system.

As always, the quality of the product and patient safety are the primary considerations in Warehouse Cleaning.

What We Can Do

Paradigm Shift Consulting Limited has produced a new training course on Warehouse Cleaning and Personnel. Covering all aspects of cleaning and hygiene in a licensed warehouse, it will help you and your cleaning team to be efficient in the cleaning procedures, thus aiding compliance to Good Distribution Practice, as well as helping to maintain the Quality Management System (QMS).

It also includes (but is not limited to):

• Documentation / Record Keeping.
• Warehouse Locations to be especially aware of.
• What you can and cannot clean with.
• Types of contamination and dirt ingress.
• Personnel Hygiene Requirements.
• Waste Management.

The cleanliness of a warehouse (and how it is done) is open to scrutiny by auditors and inspectors.
Too much dirt on the floor, racking, overflowing bins, evidence of poor waste management (which can introduce Pests as an additional problem) etc., will be noted and marked against you. It will count as a deficiency in the very least and in serious cases, it can amount to a “critical” failure.

How Can I Be Sure I’m in Compliance with hygiene and Warehouse Cleaning?

An executive summary report emailed to us (preferably with photos of the premises inside and out), with a summary of your experience, qualifications (and that of your staff) would help us give you some advice and guidance at the outset.
We would also need to know exactly what you wish to handle and supply, where it’s coming from, what system you have for documentation etc. This summary would also include what you are doing to maintain warehouse cleanliness: If the premises are not clean, it will void all the hard work you do elsewhere. If we like what we see and hear, we may visit for an initial audit to clarify the way forward for you.

As cleaning procedures vary so much, the EU GDP Guidelines (2013/c 343/01) only gives a paragraph each to hygiene and cleaning in chapter 2.5 and 3.2.9 respectively.

Training, Backup and Support

If you’re just setting up new premises, Warehouse Cleaning will need to be embraced as a major operation on the site. Do you need training for yourself and others? This course is perfect for you and will serve as an excellent annual refresher.

If we can assist or advise, we would be pleased to receive a call or an executive summary report email from you with any query you may have. Alternatively, use the contact form below quoting “Warehouse Cleaning”.

We will not waste our time and your money by “advising” you when it is obvious that your application for a license is not going to be successful.