Compressed air is an important tool used extensively throughout the food industry. Understanding the composition of the compressed air used in your plant is key to avoiding product contamination. Your task is to assess the activities and operations that can damage the product, the extent to which the product is damaged and the likelihood that product damage will occur. Assessing product contamination is a multi-step process in which you must identify important risks, prioritize and manage them, and take reasonable steps to eliminate or reduce the chances of harm to the product, especially serious harm to consumers.
Sources of potential product hazards
Normal ambient air contains millions of inert particles, 5-25 grams of water, 1-5 grams of oil and tens to hundreds of bacteria per cubic meter. In addition, the system itself can be a possible source of contamination, including duct scale and rust, particles from shredded polymers, rubber gaskets, sealing tape, metal shavings from duct cutouts, and even particles from charcoal filters and desiccant canisters. Sometimes condensate or liquid oil already present in the system can form aerosols or vapors, creating another source of contamination.
Risk Assessment
Typically, the steps to assess the risk of product contamination are as follows.
1, Identify potential hazards ,
2, assess the risk of injury
3, assess the adequacy of existing control measures,
4, assess whether additional controls are needed
5, schedule periodic inspections to see if the controls are functioning properly
