Grain Journal - July/August 2008 - (Page 108) Natural Partners GOOD SECURITY AND GOOD GRAIN QUALITY GO HAND IN HAND Good security and grain • Are employees recogSECURITY quality are natural partnized for their contribuCurtis Haugen ners. Grain quality stantions? dards in recent years have Good security and qualbeen numerous, complex, ity control start with emand at times, difficult to ployees who understand interpret. However, if their roles in handling comgood security controls modities entrusted to their have been implemented care and management. and are practiced in a rouTheir day-to-day perfortine basis, most of these mance can contribute to operating requirements the overall perception of already will have been their operation and the met and will not require quality of commodities additional effort or expense. sourced from their facility. The answers to the following questions can serve as a benchmark to help Accountability measure the status of security and • Can you identify persons who quality control at your operation. have had access to your commodities and when? Awareness • Are storage containers protected • Are all employees aware of their from rodents, light, moisture, and responsibilities for security and grain unauthorized persons? quality? • Have storage containers been • Are security and quality control cleaned properly and documented standard household terms? for the type of commodity being stored? A good maintenance program, together with meaningful security controls, will help employees manage their operations more efficiently and increase the operation’s overall control and accountability. Communication • Do customers know and understand your security and quality control requirements? • Are these requirements prominently posted for customers and employers to see? • Are local newspapers and community bulletins, invoice inserts, or customer newsletters used to increase public awareness of the standards maintained at your facility? Frequent communications prepared for employees, customers, and community can increase employees’ respect for their operation and have a positive impact on public perception. Records • Is the original source of all your commodities easily identifiable? • Do you have records to support all commodities purchased, tested, moved, sold, and transported? • Are these records protected and accessible only on a need-to-know basis to authorized persons? Regulations and industry best practices expect business records to be kept up to date and available for immediate review. To ensure these records are accurate and properly represent your operation, they should be considered proprietary, backed by corporate policy, and secured at all times. Curtis Haugen, CPP, is CEO and operations director of S’curo Group LLC, Middleton, WI; 608-354-6082; www.scurogroup.com. Response No. 1081 108 GJ J/A http://www.tarpsmfg.co http://www.tarpsmfg.co http://www.scurogroup.com
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