Personnel and hygiene

Personnel and hygiene

The hatchery is designed to prevent introduction and spread of infections, but personnel can make or break effective biosecurity. Make sure that every employee is fully aware of the importance of good hygiene. Train personnel so they are motivated to observe hygiene protocols and measures precisely. If everyone is aware of the importance of biosecurity, motivation is key to observing the regulations. Consider ways of making the causes and consequences of certain actions very clear to all personnel. The clearer and simpler the protocol, the more effective it is. An employee often spends half the day on production tasks and spends the other half cleaning and disinfecting. Many hatcheries have separate tool kits for ‘clean’ and ‘dirty’ zones containing the basic tools for that zone. This avoids tools being carried to all parts of the hatchery. External technical personnel must obviously follow the hygiene protocol before entering the hatchery. Regularly check that disinfection mats are still saturated with disinfectant. Occasional visitors are another risk factor. For example, a business contact who is visiting the director and wants to see the hatchery. Everyone must comply with the hygiene protocol.copyright protected

Regularly check that soap and sanitisers are available throughout the day, and that they are used. Clear instructions are displayed here near the soap and disinfectant dispensers. The taps have extended handles that allow operation with the elbow. Clear instruction that wearing overshoes outdoors is obligatory. Make sure overshoes are available at the exit.

When chemicals are used (cleaning/disinfecting agents), always follow the applicable protocols including wearing PPE such as protective clothing, gloves and masks. Do not make any concessions! Disinfectants that do not require PPE to be worn are often more expensive. These products often make disinfection more complicated.

cleaning footwear washing drying disinfection gate opens only after disinfection

Do all the personnel wash their hair each time they enter another hygiene zone? Shower for at least 5 minutes. In addition to washing dirt from your hair, you rinse away loose hairs and - equally importantly - you remove the dirt under your fingernails at the same time! How can you make this easier for staff with long hair? A barrier shower is the best solution. A conventional shower has two risks: people can walk past the shower and the entrance is a point where clean and dirty routes cross!

You can install one-way gates at crucial locations with sanitisers for hands and footwear, which must be used before the gate will open. copyright protected Attention! Personnel who work with the chicks must never just walk into the setter room. Fluff and down is a major vector of infection! Make sure that staff do not wear jewellery at work. Personal belongings can be safely stored in lockers.

Barrier shower Conventional shower

Outside Inside hatchery Outside Inside hatchery

LOOK-THINK-ACT

Which regulations apply for technical personnel? Do the technical personnel have access to all parts of the hatchery? Are there any protocols for the routes they take? Do protocols apply to taking showers and changing into different clothing? Are there separate tool kits for each zone? If no regulations apply, there is a high risk that: 1.Technical personnel carry pathogens to various parts of the hatchery. 2.External technical personnel bring pathogens into the hatchery.

What are these overshoes for?

A truck driver is a risk for biosecurity. So at the loading dock (on the right in the photo) and the door where the driver enters, there must also be a disinfection bath and shoes for temporary use. Only allow a driver into the hatchery when this is absolutely necessary.

How creative are the personnel at your hatchery in bypassing hygiene measures? Is everyone aware of the importance of extreme hygiene? Here the gate on the right prevents employees from avoiding the disinfection unit.

Make sure you provide all the resources necessary for copyright protected optimal hygiene and personal safety in the right place.

Egg reception and storage Incubation area Candling and transfer Hatching area Chick handling and dispatch

Clean Dirty

Ensure visitors always follow the same route: from clean (disinfected eggs) to dirty (chicks). Visitors who supply goods (drivers) must not be allowed to pass the point where the eggs are disinfected.

Correct

Hearing protection

Showered Hair net

Face mask No hair hanging loose

No moustache or beard (or covered with a net)

No jewellery

Do not eat/ drink at work

Incorrect

No watch

Clean workwear

Gloves

Boots Washed and disinfected hands No footwear that has been worn outside No loose clothing Not ill No dirty clothescopyright protected the hatchery Phone not put away properly

A repaired floor. Cracks and holes in the floor are an ideal environment for bacteria and moulds to thrive. Repair any damage immediately. A tile floor is a hard-wearing surface, but the grouting between the tiles is difficult to clean. A cast concrete floor is preferable.