Title 18 . Environmental Conservation

Chapter 32 . Administrative Enforcement

Section 620. Facility requirements

18 AAC 32.620. Facility requirements

(a) The operator of a slaughtering or processing facility shall ensure that

(1) the facility is of adequate size, design, and construction to

(A) accommodate slaughtering, processing, packaging, and storage of food products; and

(B) prevent contamination of food products, food ingredients, food-contact surfaces, and packaging materials;

(2) the vicinity immediately outside of the facility is

(A) free from litter, waste, refuse, uncut weeds, and uncut grass that might attract or harbor pests; and

(B) adequately drained to prevent contamination through seepage or footborne filth and to avoid creating a breeding place for insects or microorganisms;

(3) each opening to the outside is protected against the entrance of rodents, insects, and other pests; if screening material is used, the screening material must be tight fitting, free from breaks, and not less than 16 mesh to the inch;

(4) fixtures, ducts, and pipes are designed, or otherwise covered or protected, to prevent drippage or condensate in an area used for slaughtering, processing, or storage of food, food ingredients, or packaging materials;

(5) sleeping or living quarters are separated from slaughtering, processing, and food storage or packaging areas by a solid, stationary, floor-to-ceiling wall to prevent direct access from these areas to the sleeping or living quarters;

(6) light bulbs, glass fixtures, skylights, or other glass suspended over slaughtering, processing, packaging, or storage areas are shielded to protect the food product from broken glass;

(7) the facility has lighting of at least

(A) 50 footcandles, measured at the work surface, in areas where

(i) carcasses are eviscerated, skinned, trimmed, or inspected;

(ii) reindeer is processed; or

(iii) utensils are cleaned and sanitized; and

(B) 20 footcandles, evenly distributed to all other areas not described in (A) of this paragraph, including all food product holding and refrigerated and dry storage areas;

(8) odors, noxious fumes, and excessive dust or vapors, including steam, are minimized and controlled to protect food, packaging materials, and food-contact surfaces of equipment from contamination;

(9) the inside walls in

(A) any area that may be splashed with water or other processing wastes during processing and cleaning is made of a solid material that is nonabsorbent, durable, smooth, easily cleanable, and sealed to the floor; if the solid material is less than the full height of the wall, the top of the solid material must be sealed to the wall;

(B) eviscerating, skinning, trimming, processing, and other areas where water is used to flush or spray clean the walls are made of tile, sealed or noncorrosive metal, fiberglass, or another nonabsorbent, durable, smooth, and easily cleanable material designed for its intended use; and

(C) dry storage areas are easily cleanable;

(10) floors in

(A) all areas except those described in (C) of this paragraph are smooth, easily cleanable, durable, and nonabsorbent;

(B) eviscerating, skinning, trimming, processing, and other areas where water is used to flush or spray clean the floors are

(i) made of sealed concrete, sealed or noncorrosive metal, fiberglass, or another nonabsorbent, durable, smooth, and easily cleanable material designed for its intended use; and

(ii) designed to slope uniformly at a minimum of one-quarter vertical inch per two horizontal feet; and

(C) warehouse and storage rooms used for dry storage are made of a material that is durable and easily cleanable;

(11) overhead rails

(A) are located so that any exposed carcass, viscera, or meat does not come in contact with support posts, walls, or other fixed parts of the building or equipment when hanging or when moved along the rail; and

(B) provide at least two feet of clearance between the floor and the bottom of the carcass;

(12) hanging plastic strip partitions are not used to separate areas where exposed product or personnel handling raw product must move in between the areas;

(13) an area for department employees to prepare paperwork and store equipment and tools is provided;

(14) only those poisonous or toxic materials that are necessary to clean the facility, clean and sanitize equipment and utensils, maintain facility equipment and vehicles, and control insects and rodents, or that are used in laboratory testing procedures are on the premises;

(15) poisonous and toxic materials are labeled in accordance with state and federal law and are used in accordance with the label; and

(16) poisonous and toxic materials are not stored with food products, food ingredients, packaging materials, equipment, or utensils, except that utensil and equipment cleaning and sanitizing materials may be stored in the warewashing area.

(b) The operator of a slaughtering or processing facility shall ensure that insects, rodents, and other pests are eliminated from the premises. The department may require the operator to hire a commercial pest control applicator certified under 18 AAC 90 to control an insect, rodent, or other pest problem if the operator does not demonstrate to the department's satisfaction that the operator has adequately controlled the problem with pesticides and traps, or if the department determines that an imminent health hazard exists. If the department requires a certified commercial pest control applicator under this subsection, the operator shall provide documentation to the department detailing the actions taken by the applicator.

History: Eff. 9/6/2003, Register 167

Authority: AS 03.05.011

AS 03.05.040

AS 17.20.005

AS 17.20.072

AS 17.20.180

AS 44.46.020