Appendix A—Guidance on Establishment Facilities and Equipment

OVERVIEW

This Guidebook is intended for use by meat and poultry establishments in considering decisions about design and construction of their facilities, as well as the selection of equipment to be used in their operations. The material that forms the basis for this Guidebook is drawn principally from technical knowledge and experiences used by the Food Safety and Inspection Service in making its prior approval decisions about the acceptability of facilities and equipment.

The Agency is no longer making these prior approval decisions for inspected establishments; however, the technical considerations on which those decisions were based may be of interest to establishments in the future. That is the material which is reflected in this Guidebook.

 

Chapter 1 LOCATION

Selecting the location for your establishment is an important factor in providing a sanitary environment for producing meat and poultry products.  When selecting a location, you will need to consider the physical environment of the site, accessibility, separation of your premises from other businesses, common areas shared by you and other establishments, and whether or not you will conduct uninspected businesses such as retail stores or custom slaughter on or near your premises. This chapter provides guidelines you may wish to consider when the select a location for your establishment.

 

1. Site

 

The size of the site should allow for all buildings, parking lots, access roads, and future expansion. The site should be large enough to accommodate a potable water supply for your processing needs, and a sewage system that can efficiently handle liquid waste and process water created by your establishment. In addition, potential building locations should be evaluated for sanitation hazards. In determining that possibility, consider the following guidelines:

  • To the extent possible, establishments should be located in areas free of industries that attract vermin such as sanitary landfills and junk yards.
  • To the extent possible, establishments should be located in areas free of odors and airborne particulate matter that may be produced by neighboring industries or other outside sources, such as oil refineries, trash dumps, chemical plants, sewage disposal plants. dyeworks, and paper pulpmills.
  • The prevailing winds are an important factor in site determination because substances emanating from more distant sources may be a problem if the winds carry them to the establishment site.

2. Separation of Official and Non-Official Establishments

Sometimes an establishment is located next to or in the same building as other businesses which are not under FSIS inspection. In those circumstances you should take great care to keep product from becoming contaminated from the operation of the adjoining business.