By August of 2015, the FDA will issue the final rules for preventive controls under the Food Safety Modernization Act. One of the preventive controls that will be especially impactful and fully scrutinized by regulators is the comprehensive environmental monitoring program. The success of an environmental monitoring program is dependent on plant employees and their knowledge the process and how each of them plays an important role. A workforce that is empowered to recognize critical environmental conditions that can contribute to pathogen growth is the first line of defense against contamination issues. The purpose of this session is to communicate the three legs of a successful environmental monitoring program using the closed loop method of employee engagement – designing and developing a monitoring program and understanding how the pieces fit together, behavior based food safety education, and establishing clear communication for an employee driven food safety culture.

First, the session goes back to basics on building a comprehensive environmental monitoring program through sanitation and sampling, benchmarking through the use of the key metrics, and identifying desirable employee behaviors that impact preventative controls. Secondly, the session will address the reality that food safety is dependent on human behavior. Understanding how to leverage behavioral science to fuel a successful education program is imperative to prevent the proliferation of pathogens in the manufacturing environment.  Studies in the industry are proving that post-training observations mixed with corrective actions, and positive reinforcement coaching is an effective process for allowing employees to recognize their role in the prevention of pathogen growth. Finally, a culture of effective communication brings the process full circle by empowering employees to take action when they detect a potential contamination issue. The session will close with insights into the best ways to facilitate both top-down and bottom-up communication to drive continuous improvement.

Presentations