[Lessons Learned]

With its increased focus on security in the last several years, Foremost Farms has assessed and addressed a full range of employee-related, process-integrated, and physical-design security issues. From the simple – locking your computer when you’re away from your desk – to the complex – overcoming the "it can’t happen here" mindset – the assessment and improvement initiatives at Foremost Farms have brought a whiteboard full of lessons learned, from which any quality assurance or plant manager is sure to gain a tip or two to apply in their facility. They include: l Frame of Mind. There can often be resistance from employees – particularly in smaller plants – toward implementation of strong defense measures, such as mandating ID tags and escorting of all visitors, as employees often feel that aggressors would not target their plant. "You don’t want to wait until it happens to do something," says Regulatory Compliance Manager Jim Wittenberger in response to such opposition.

* Record Security. One area in which Foremost Farms found security to be less than desired was in the company’s documentation. "We have computer security," says Quality Assurance Supervisor Jane McKeever, "but not everything is kept in the computer." Once made aware of documentation security needs, they were surprised at the amount of processing information which had previously been left unsecured.

* Delivery Seals. A question plants should ask themselves is: Where are official delivery seals stored? You may lock and seal every delivery, but if a box of seals is sitting out on a desk near the door, you are leaving yourself open to theft and potential seal breakage and fraudulent replacement on a now-contaminated unit.

* Visitor Awareness. Your employee is your first line of defense. Use buzz-in locks on outer doors; mandate ID badges for all; and train and encourage employees to know co-workers, to be suspicious of people who don’t belong in the work area, and to alert a supervisor if anything seems out-of-line, or even question the person themselves politely asking why they are there and who their contact is.

* Employee/Visitor Identification. In addition to identification badges, Foremost Farms can identify Foremost Farms personnel by their hardhats. Each plant employee’s is personalized by name, and with their red coloring, visitors can be immediately identified even from afar.

* Chemical Storage. Prior to the assessment, the bulk sanitation chemicals had been in an open area. Because such chemicals can be a concern, the tanks are now segregated into a separate room which is kept locked at all times. "If it were to get in the wrong hands, it could cause severe damage," says Dave Jelle, quality system manager.

* Instilling New Practices. "At times we revert to old habits," Jelle says. Once a program is initiated and physical changes made, it is important for supervisors to periodically check on security practices and procedures to ensure ongoing compliance. For example, if new external lighting was added for personnel safety, regular checks should be made for intentional (tampering) as well as non-intentional (burned-out bulbs) issues.

* Annual Review. In addition to periodic checks of practices, an annual review of all security practices should be made, checking for any process changes that may have been made during the year which could require changes to its security practices.