Servsafe Certification - Chapter 13: Integrated Pest Management

Pests

Unsightly critters that damage operations and spread foodborne illness.

The goals of an Integrated Pest Management Program.

To use prevention measures to keep pests from entering an operation, and control measures to get them out when they do.

Ways pests may enter buildings.

Deliveries and openings in the building.

Principles to prevent pests from entering an operation through doors, windows, and vents.

Screens, doors, air curtains, exterior openings.

The screens principle of pest entry prevention.

Screen all windows and vents with screens of 16 mesh per square inch and repair as needed.

The doors principle of pest entry prevention.

Equip all doors with self-closing devices and door sweeps. Repair gaps and cracks in doorframes and thresholds, and use weather stripping on doors with no threshold.

The air curtains principle of pest entry prevention.

Install air curtains above or alongside doors.

Air curtains

Tiny devices that blow steady streams of air across doorways that are left open.

The exterior openings principle of pest entry prevention.

Keep all exterior openings tightly closed when not in use.

Principles to prevent pests from entering an operation through pipes.

Concrete, screens, grates.

The concrete principle of pest pipe entry prevention.

Use concrete to fill holes and sheet metal to cover openings around pipes.

The screens principle of pest pipe entry prevention.

Install screens over ventilation pipes and ducts.

The grates principle of pest entry prevention.

Cover floor drains with rodents to keep pests out.

What to seal all floors and walls with.

Permanent sealant recommended by a PCO or regulatory authority.

Principles to deny pests food and shelter.

Garbage, recyclables, storage, cleaning.

The garbage principle of denying pests food and shelter.

Dispose of garbage according to chapter 12 recommendations.

The recyclables principle of denying pests food and shelter.

Store recyclables in clean, pest-proof containers.

The storage principle of denying pests food and shelter.

Store all food supplies quickly and correctly.

The cleaning principle of denying pests food and shelter.

Clean according to chapter 12 recommendations.

Principles to deny pests food and shelter in outdoor areas.

Maintain, cover, remove, feeding, electronics

The maintain principle of denying pests food and shelter in outdoor areas.

Mow grass, pull weeds, get rid of standing water, and pick up litter.

The cover principle of denying pests food and shelter in outdoor areas.

Cover all outdoor garbage containers.

The remove principle of denying pests food and shelter in outdoor areas.

Remove uneaten food and dirty dishes from tables as quick as possible.

The feeding principle of denying pests food and shelter in outdoor areas.

Do not allow staff or guests to feed birds or wildlife.

The electronics principle of denying pests food and shelter in outdoor areas.

Install electronic insect eliminators away from food, customers, staff, and serving areas.

The three master rules of keeping an operation pest-free.

Deny pests food and shelter, deny pests access to the operation, work with a licensed pest control operator.

Flies

Bugs that feed on garbage and scat and spread them to food.

Pathogens flies can carry.

Any pathogens spread through the fecal-oral route of contamination.

Pathogens cockroaches carry.

Salmonella typhi, fungi, parasite eggs, viruses.

Places to find cockroaches.

Behind coolers, freezers and stoves, in sink and floor drains, around water pipes, inside equipment near monitors and electronics, under shelf liners and wallpaper, underneath rubber mats, in delivery bags and boxes, behind unsealed coving.

Signs of roach infestations.

Strong oily odors, feces that look like black pepper, capsule-shaped egg cases.

Distance rats usually travel from their nests.

100 to 150 feet away.

Distance mice usually travel from their nests.

10 to 30 feet away.

Ways rats spread disease and filth.

Defecating and urinating everywhere.

Signs of rodent infestations.

Gnawing, droppings, tracks, and holes.

Pest Control Operators

Licensed professionals that are trained to work with safe, effective pest control techniques.

Duties pest control operators can perform.

Help develop pest management programs, stay current on new equipment and products, provide service to stop pests, provide service to prevent pests, keep records of all methods taken to control pests.

Descriptions of service to look for in a PCO.

Initial inspection, regular monitoring, follow-up visits, emergency services, and proof of services.

Records you have to keep as a manager when working with a PCO.

Pest species sighted and trapped, building maintenance problems and when they are fixed, facility maps showing pest problem spots, schedules for checking and cleaning traps, written summary reports from the PCO.

Prepare for a PCO to gain complete access to a building by:

Preparing staff to answer questions, providing building plans and equipment layouts, pointing at trouble spots.

Things pest treatment plans should address in writing.

Treatments for each problem and potential results, dates and times of each treatment, steps the operation can take to control pests, building defects that may invite pests, timing of follow-up visits.

Principles to guide pesticide use.

Timing, preparation, after application.

The timing principle of pesticide use.

Only use pesticides when businesses are closed and employees are not in.

The preparation principle of pesticide use.

Remove all food and movable food-contact surfaces from an operation. Cover equipment and surfaces that cannot be moved.

The after application principle of pesticide use.

Wash, rinse, and sanitize food-contact surfaces after areas have been sprayed.

Safety Data Sheets

Sheets that include safety information about pesticide uses.