Increasing Managerial Responsibility to Ensure Food Safety: The Concept of A Trained Person in Charge

Asia Al Raeesi Acting Head of Food Studies and Planning Section Food Control Department Dubai Municipality

DIFSC 2011

Role of Managers

• Food businesses are one of the key contributors to the Dubai economy • Dubai Municipality monitors food safety standards and conducts inspections at these food businesses to prevent foodborne illnesses DIFSC 2011

Role of Training Programs

• Mandatory trainings are very useful in increasing knowledge • Traditional assumptions that the provision of knowledge alone will lead to changes in attitudes and thus performance has been shown to be ill founded • Studies indicate that knowledge alone is insufficient to trigger preventive practices and that some mechanism is needed to motivate action and generate positive attitudes DIFSC 2011

Role of Training Programs

• Prioritising the training of managers may be more important than that of basic food handlers. • The numerous benefits of management training include the – ability of managers to influence premises hygiene, – less turnover of managers and – their impact on the training of staff.

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Person in Charge

• The person in charge program is based on the principle that a trained and certified manager can enhance food safety in an establishment.

• The use of the term Person in Charge ( PIC) is to reinforce the point that the person is in charge of the operations and is responsible for it.

• This is our first step towards developing a culture that puts the safety of the food above all else.

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Person in Charge

• PIC training is an additional requirement for a person who works in the managerial or supervisory position.

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Why is a Person in Charge important?

• A PIC shares the responsibility with the Dubai Municipality in ensuring food safety by adding an onsite level of protection of day-to-day operations • Municipality can rely on a trained PIC who is always present onsite and can ensure compliance to regulations by controlling and motivating their staff to do the right thing.

DIFSC 2011

Who is a PIC?

• The Person in Charge (PIC) in any food establishment will be the person who has the overall responsibility for running that location during the entire time of operation. DIFSC 2011

Who is a PIC?

• The PIC can be the

owner

of the business or a

designated person

, such as a shift leader, chef, kitchen manager or similar individual who is always present in the work site and has direct authority, control or supervision over employees who engage in the storage, preparation, display, or service of foods.

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What must they know?

• PIC must know whatever is necessary to ensure food safety as it applies to their operation and responsibilities. PICs need to have the knowledge to ensure safe day-to-day operations and spot potential problems and to make right decisions on their shift.

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How do you become a PIC?

–

In order to become a Person in Charge certified in food safety, an individual must meet the following requirements:

PIC should have successfully completed a food control department approved Food Safety Certification Course appropriate to the business activity – PIC should have successfully passed a Food Control Department approved Food Safety Certification Examination administered jointly by the Department and the Awarding Bodies DIFSC 2011

PIC Training Program

• The PIC training program is customized to meet the requirements of the different types of food businesses like food service and retail, food trade and food manufacturing.

• The course will be offered in multiple languages with handbooks as a reference guide DIFSC 2011

Who offers the course for PIC?

• The course is offered by Trainers who are certified specially to provide the PIC training.

• The certification is done by the Awarding Bodies approved by the Dubai Accreditation Centre which makes the certification internationally acceptable DIFSC 2011

Main Role of PICs

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Role of PIC

A PIC shall ►

Develop and implement

policies and procedures to prevent foodborne illness ►

Provide

facilities to ensure food hygiene ►

Train

all employees before they start to work ►

Monitor

employee activities to ensure compliance with food safety regulations especially during receiving, preparation, display and storage foods DIFSC 2011

Role of PIC

►

Follow-up

food inspections conducted by the Food Control Department, take corrective and preventive actions when necessary; ►

Conduct

regular in-house self inspections of operations to ensure that food safety policies and procedures are followed.

DIFSC 2011

Role of PIC

Specific tasks of a PIC include:

• Monitor employee hygiene, especially proper hand washing; • Exclude ill or sick employees; • Monitor cooking and proper cooling of high risk foods; • Ensure that food is at the right temperature during storage and transportation • Protect ready to eat from recontamination • Monitor cleaning and disinfection • Ensure that food is bought only from a known and approved source; • Ensure that all foods accepted in the business is checked • Follow up food related complaints DIFSC 2011

7 PIC Principles of Responsibility PIC CATCHES 1. C

ross contamination

( prevent) 2. A

ctive Managerial Control

( apply) 3. T

ime/Temperature Control

( ensure) 4. C

leaning

( sanitising) 5. H

ygiene

( people, process) 6. E

mergency

( report complaints, power failure) 7. S

ource

( approved)

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PERSON IN CHARGE

Protecting

P

rofit

I

mage

C

ustomer Food Control Department Dubai Municipality

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Thank You

DIFSC 2011