Poor floor drainage poses a serious hygiene risk within food and drink processing plants, Andy Buchan, divisional managing director of ACO Building Drainage, will tell delegates at the European Hygienic Engineering & Design (EHEDG) World Congress , which takes place at the ExCel exhibition centre in London from 21-22 November during the Food Matters Live event.

Buchan’s presentation will provide an understanding of the link between the primary risks to hygiene within the food and drink processing environment and the risks associated with poor floor drainage. Clear guidance will be provided on the need for properly specified, installed and maintained drainage; the need for appropriate flooring, and the ongoing requirement for appropriate cleaning operations.  All three factors are required to ensure that the right outcomes for the food and drink processor are achieved.

Essence of effective food safety
Good drainage is the very essence of effective food safety and must be considered at the very first stages of a factory build, refurbishment or maintenance programme, says Buchan. Only by planning ahead can the risks associated with poor drainage be mitigated. This requires collaboration between the plant, the engineers and supply chain companies providing the build/maintenance.

The profile of drainage and its risk to public health is increasingly prevalent, as demonstrated by last year’s legal case involving Pioneer Foods in the UK, claims Buchan. In order to demonstrate issues in context, his presentation will highlight a number of poor examples of industry practice.  From these, the need for best practice alternatives becomes obvious, he claims.

The presentation will then focus on the key areas of product design and specification: layout and drainage requirement, the critical need for planning and future-proofing to ultimately demonstrate that if you want the right outcome you need to do the right thing.

Guidance on factory infrastructure
Delegates to the EHEDG World Congress will be shown updates on what is considered to be best practice via the adoption of EN standards and associated product development that has taken place over recent years. In addition, new EHEDG guidance will be highlighted, particularly the information in Document 44, which covers factory infrastructure.  The need to apply the hygiene standards reserved for food contact surfaces to drainage will also be discussed.

Buchan’s presentation will conclude with a brief review of future developments and ongoing research that supports the optimisation of hygienic performance.  In summary, the ambition of his presentation is to engage the audience so, as he points out, the “never underestimate drainage”.