Is Your Pesticide Storage Audit-Ready?

Your audit is quickly approaching, and you’ve made sure your documentation is in order, plus checked all the pest control hot spots around your facility. The third piece of the pre-audit puzzle is pesticide storage. While pesticide should not be stored on site if the company has a contracted pest management provider, food facilities that run their own pest management program may have pesticide stored on site.

Due to the specifics that come into play with each unique auditor, it’s best to know exactly what restrictions you should follow – before the auditor arrives. Luckily, NSF and Orkin have teamed up to provide customized tips, based on your specific audit standard, to help eliminate any confusion.

Visit myauditprep.com and enter your next audit date and auditor. You’ll start receiving free pointers in your inbox to guide you through the pre-audit checklist. For even more food safety audit pointers in an instant, download our free Food Safety Modernization Act Special Report.

If you do your own pest control, and you’re ready to check pesticide storage off your list, below are a few of the tips you’ll see:

• Room Specs – Any pesticides should be stored in a limited access, locked area. Make sure your storage area is adequate in size and construction. Don’t forget to check for proper ventilation.

• Inventory – Always maintain a complete inventory of the pesticides you keep in storage. In most cases, a report on pesticides used and inventory stored will need to be submitted annually to the state regulatory agency. Review this list on a regular basis to confirm quantities used and specific amounts on hand. If there are any discrepancies, make time to further evaluate them and explain in documentation if necessary.

• Labeling – Labeling pesticide containers is essential to helping identify their contents. Don’t overlook two areas you’re likely to forget: each pesticide should have its own application equipment, and be labeled as such, and even empty containers should have a label of “insecticide use only.”

• Signage – Make sure the proper signage is applied to areas surrounding pesticide storage. Warning signs should be posted at the entrance of each storage area signifying the contents inside and who’s permitted to enter.

• Pesticide Disposal – When removing any pesticide from your storage unit, appropriate disposal is required. Any pesticide should be disposed of according to label directions and regulatory requirements.

To get your customized tips for pesticide storage, according to audit standard, sign up here. For a brief overview of the two other essential aspects of pest control audit preparation, you can check out our previous blog posts on proper documentation and pest hot spots and also download our Food Safety Modernization Act Special Report.