Dealing with Broken Glass Debris in Food & Beverage Production

In food and beverage processing operations, glass bottles and jars are ubiquitous. Even in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics/personal care, glass vials for medicines and perfume bottles are heavily used. It is inevitable that there will be breakages due to glass falling off the production line, conveyor belts or out of packaging - accidents happen. Broken glass and brittle plastic can be a real threat to food and beverage manufacturers. First, staff can be harmed and cause downtime to production. Second, the food product can be contaminated by foreign objects and unfit for human (or animal) consumption. Third, if undetected, the consumer can experience great harm due to ingesting glass fragments including damage to teeth, laceration of the mouth or throat, or perforation of the intestine. The FDA's Health Hazard Evaluation Board has supported regulatory action against products with glass 0.3 inch (7 mm) to 1 inch (25 mm) in length.

Food Safety Standards on Glass
Global food safety standards require glass control. Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) requirements for broken glass focus on immediate containment, isolation, thorough cleanup with dedicated tools, discarding affected product and preventing spread, and documenting the incident. It should be treated as a major physical hazard requiring strict corrective actions like stopping production, isolating the area, changing protective gear, and checking shoes to prevent glass contamination from getting into food and other areas, ensuring all steps are documented and verified. 

Article 14 of Regulation (EC) No 178/2002 sets out European food safety requirements. It includes that food must not be released to market if it is in any way unsafe, i.e. if:

• It can be injurious to human health
• It is unfit for human consumption
• It has been contaminated by foreign bodies (including glass) that could cause harm

• ”Systems shall be in place to manage container breakages between the container cleaning/inspection point and container closure.”

• “The use of dedicated, clearly identifiable cleaning equipment (e.g. color-coded) for removal of container breakages; such equipment to be stored separately from other cleaning equipment.”

• “The use of dedicated, accessible, lidded waste containers for the collection of damaged containers and fragments.”

Prevention and Response - Have a "Glass Policy"
A glass and brittle plastic program is necessary to minimize the potential for cross-contamination of food, ingredients, and packaging with glass or brittle plastic to ensure that foods and ingredients are safe and will not result in an injury or illness to consumers. Employee policies and facility design can also mitigate foreign object contamination due to broken glass. Develop a comprehensive policy identifying, assessing, and managing all glass (lights, equipment, utensils) in the facility. Glass and ceramic coffee mugs should be prohibited from the production floor. Workers with eyeglasses should wear eye covers. Windows and skylights should use shatterproof materials. All lightbulbs should be shielded to contain breakage or be manufactured of unbreakable materials. Have dedicated, color-coded (e.g., orange or pink) "glass cleanup kits" with unique brooms, dustpans, forceps, and a lidded container, kept near high-risk zones.

Let's outline some key pieces to your breakage response SOPs:
 
Key Steps in a Glass Breakage Procedure

1. Stop & Report: Immediately stop production, halt equipment, and report the breakage to management.
2. Isolate: Block off the area (e.g., 10-meter radius) to prevent personnel movement and spreading glass; don't let anyone leave the zone without checking shoes/clothing.
3. Quarantine Product: All exposed food/packaging within the isolated zone must be quarantined (held or destroyed).
4. Clean-Up:
1. Use dedicated, color-coded glass cleaning kits (e.g., broom, dustpan, forceps/tongs, and lidded containers).
2. Never use regular vacuums; only dedicated ones with HEPA-filters.
3. Carefully sweep/pick up glass, placing it in a designated, sealed container.
4. Wipe down surfaces, equipment, and the sink used for cleaning tools. Use a damp paper towel or sticky tape to lift tiny fragments from floors and equipment.
5. Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
1. Wear heavy gloves (leather/cut-resistant) and protective eyewear.
2. Cleaners must change overalls and gloves.
3. Shoes must be inspected and cleaned or changed before leaving the area.
6. Documentation: Record the incident, cleanup steps, root cause, and verification of effectiveness in a Corrective Action Report.
7. Verification: 
1. Thoroughly clean the area with appropriate sanitizers and detergents.
2. Inspect equipment and containers in the affected zone for embedded glass. Use a high-intensity light to find reflective fragments on floors, equipment, and even within product containers.
3. Management must sign off to confirm the area is safe before production resumes. 

The core principle is "Isolate, Protect, Remove, Verify," ensuring no glass enters the food stream and that all potential contaminants are found and eliminated.

• Choose a unique color for tools associated with cleaning up glass debris – it should be a color that is not used for any other purpose anywhere at the site. It’s usually also a good idea to select a color with a high, obvious signal factor, such as orange or pink.

• Keep the items in, or close to, the area of risk so they are easily available when breakages occur.

• Keep the items well away from other cleaning equipment to prevent any risk of cross-contamination. The best thing is to have a separate container (such as a bucket with lid) into which any stray pieces of glass can be placed. There should also be agreed routines for emptying and cleaning this container and the glass breakage cleaning equipment, regularly.

• Use a mobile tool storage system like the Vikan HyGo or a mobile shadow board for storing tools that will only be used for glass cleanup. These mobile systems make it easy to get the cleaning tools to where they’ll be needed while keeping the tools separate and visually distinct from regular cleaning tools.

Our hygienic squeegees are not only good at moving water, but effective at sweeping small glass fragments off of tables, surfaces, equipment and floors. If you need a hand held option, the 10" Ultra Hygiene Table Squeegee is an excellent option. If you are trying to cleanup glass debris on floors, check out the 16" Ultra Hygiene Squeegee with 51" Handle. Both of these squeegees use a soft and flexible rubber blade that is ideal for removing water or debris from floors and food contact surfaces.