[From the Board] Pest Management

In October of 1990, the U.S. District Court in Pennsylvania ordered a Philadelphia baking company to shut down. Throughout 1989 and 1990, investigations by FDA revealed ongoing insect and rodent infestations in the production area. Despite its promise to correct the problems, the company took no action and the doors were closed. How did an issue of this magnitude develop?

The closure of a manufacturing plant due to pest management problems is unusual, but when it does occur, the cost is high, both in actual dollars and in damage to the company’s reputation and brand. The ability to gather and make use of accurate data is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of any quality assurance team. The cost of record keeping pales in comparison to the damage that can be done to a brand whose worth may be measured in billions of dollars.

ACCURATE AND TIMELY INFORMATION. Knowledge and information are the keys to making correct pest management decisions. Because failure to correct problems in the early stages can be expensive, accurate and timely information is critical to the success of your pest management program. While communication and documentation alone won’t eliminate pests, they are indispensable tools in the effort to maintain pest-free facilities.

During the past decade, service has evolved from simply managing pests to including detailed data gathering and reporting. Service specialists electronically record data concerning service devices such as traps and bait stations, pesticides applied, sanitation conditions, structural deficiencies and recommendations for corrective action. Quality assurance managers then are able to access all the data generated for each of their locations and view individualized reports that are specific to their operations, such as pesticide usage, trend reports, pests found by device and pests found by site. In addition, they rely on electronic data to confirm when and where service has been performed, to manage facilities remotely and to pinpoint problem areas within larger facilities.

COST-EFFECTIVENESS. Electronic data collection is a wise use of resources. Not only do electronic service reports capture essential details, but information is communicated faster, with more accuracy and is easier to read. It is available all day, every day of the year. Furthermore, Web-based files can be accessed instantly by those with a need to know, whether it’s an auditor or the plant manager. Finally, electronic reports are less likely to be lost, thrown out or filed in the back of a cabinet and forgotten.

Other enhancements to electronic data can include instant communication, such as the issuance of an e-mail alert if a client-designated threshold is reached. Such alerts, based on information uploaded by the service specialist, make follow up easy and increase the likelihood that the conditions are resolved quickly.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES. Now that you have all this information, what are you going to do with it? Electronic data are only as good as plant-level implementation. Your pest solutions provider can fill your inbox with reports, but if you don’t use the data they contain, it’s wasted effort.

The baking company in Pennsylvania had more than enough information. The missing piece was action. In addition to the possibility of closure, food manufacturers often face fines when health safety ordinances are violated. So when your provider asks for sanitation or maintenance improvements, or you’ve been notified that a pest threshold has been reached, it is crucial that you act promptly. 

Electronic data collection’s specialized exception reporting, issue tracking and pest activity trending can address deficiencies that may contribute to pest activity, and drive long-term, permanent solutions to pest issues. You will realize the greatest benefit when you become more proactive in managing your pest program by taking action before a problem escalates rather than after.

Key steps include:

1. In the initial stages of implementing your pest management plan, work closely with your service provider to establish appropriate pest activity thresholds.
2. Quickly correct any deficiencies your service specialist finds.
3. Monitor pest activity reports consistently and watch for trends.
4. Maintain open lines of communication between yourself, plant personnel and your pest management provider, asking questions and sharing concerns as they arise.

Unresolved pest issues can escalate rapidly, causing you to spend additional resources and creating risk to your reputation and brand. Electronic data collection and reporting give you the tools you need to stay on top of problems before they become critical. If you’re not yet gathering and managing data electronically, I encourage you to seriously consider it. And, if you do have access to these tools, be sure you are taking full advantage of their powerful tracking and reporting capabilities and implementing action on the information they provide.

The author is president of Copesan, Menomonee Falls, Wis., and is a member of QA’s Advisory Board.