OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE FOR FOOD, BEVERAGE AND COLD CHAIN
Food and beverage plants and cold chain operations combine some of the noisiest production lines in industry with freezers, ammonia refrigeration, flour and sugar dust, and strong cleaning chemicals.
Qualitas carries out the occupational hygiene assessments these employers need: noise surveys, cold and heat stress surveys, dust and chemical monitoring, LEV tests and ergonomics assessments.
WHERE WE WORK
Food and beverage manufacturers
Bakeries and flour mills
Breweries, wineries and bottlers
Dairies and meat processors
Cold stores and cold chain distribution centres
Frozen food and ice cream producers
The Physical Agents Regulations, 2024 require cold and heat to be assessed where they may affect employees, which covers blast freezers, cold stores, chillers, ovens and fryers.
The Noise Exposure Regulations, 2024 apply to bottling, canning, packaging and milling lines, most of which run above 85 dB(A).
The Regulations for Hazardous Chemical Agents, 2021 cover flour and grain dust, ammonia, chlorine-based and caustic cleaning chemicals, and carbon dioxide in fermentation and dry-ice areas.
THE HAZARDS WE MEASURE IN FOOD AND COLD CHAIN
Cold in freezers and chillers, including time inside and the clothing provided.
Noise from fillers, conveyors, compressors and packaging machines.
Flour, sugar and spice dust, which can cause occupational asthma.
Ammonia from refrigeration plants and carbon dioxide from fermentation.
Cleaning and sanitising chemicals used in wash-down.
Repetitive work and manual handling on packing lines.
WHAT THE LAW REQUIRES
WHY QUALITAS
Qualitas Occupational Consulting is a Department of Employment and Labour Approved Inspection Authority (AIA) and a SANAS-accredited (ISO/IEC 17020) inspection body for asbestos, lead, noise and hazardous chemical agents, and applies the same quality system to all its assessments. Cold and heat stress surveys are outside our AIA scope but follow the same quality system.
Every assessment is led by Christo de Wet, an occupational hygienist registered with the Southern African Institute for Occupational Hygiene (SAIOH), with 15 years of experience.
We work nationwide, and Qualitas has also carried out assessments in Botswana and Kazakhstan. Travel is quoted upfront.
You receive a professional, audit-ready report that stands up to inspection by the Department of Employment and Labour.
- Cold stress surveys, Heat stress surveys, Noise surveys and noise zoning, Flour and grain dust monitoring, Ammonia and carbon dioxide monitoring, Cleaning chemical risk assessments, Local exhaust ventilation (LEV) testing, Hazardous biological agent assessments, Microbiological surface swab sampling, Illumination surveys, Ergonomics risk assessments, Occupational health risk assessments
Start with a free Compliance Gap Analysis checklist to see which assessments your site needs and which are overdue.
OUR SERVICES FOR FOOD AND COLD CHAIN
- Do freezer workers need a cold stress assessment?
Yes. The Physical Agents Regulations, 2024 cover cold. The assessment looks at temperature, air movement, time spent inside, rest breaks and the protective clothing provided.
Is flour dust really a legal issue for bakeries?
Yes. Flour dust is a hazardous chemical agent and a respiratory sensitiser that causes occupational asthma. Bakeries and mills need a chemical risk assessment and, usually, personal dust monitoring.
Our refrigeration plant uses ammonia. What is required?
A chemical risk assessment covering normal operation, maintenance and leaks, with monitoring where exposure may be significant, and emergency procedures for a release.
How do we get a quote for a food plant or cold store?
Send the form below with your site location, WhatsApp us or call 082 649 6599. Tell us what the site does and roughly how many employees work there, and we will quote you upfront.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
REQUEST A QUOTE
Need occupational hygiene assessments for your food plant or cold store? Contact us for an obligation-free quotation, WhatsApp us or call 082 649 6599.
