International Association for Food Protection is focused on protecting the global food supply. When food processors conduct a thorough root cause analysis of environmental hazards they may be surprised to find the true impact of employee behavior. Knowing how to engage food manufacturing workers towards sustained behavior change is the key to creating a successful food safety culture.

1. Best Behavior: Engaging Employees to
Fuel a Culture of Food Safety
IAFP 2015
Holly Mockus, Alchemy Systems

2. Moving to the Next Level
2Confidential and Proprietary
Awareness
Enlightenment
Prevention
Prediction

3. Case Study
• Reactive program
• Sporadic positives
• Repeat positives
• Environmental rates
continuing to rise
• Investigations were
inconclusive
• Corrective actions were not
addressing the root cause

4. Shut Down Production
• Corporate to the rescue
• Holistic investigation
• Drying out the plant
• Swab-a-thon
• Hours and hours of root
cause analysis
• Mapping positives
• Reviewing traffic patterns
• Interview employees

5. Findings
• Slow flowing drains
• Wooden / hollow doors
• Seeping curb from freezer
• Foot traffic to new smoking
area
• Hollow framework
• No reporting mechanism
• Training with no
reinforcement

6. Root Cause
Absolute lack of employee engagement!

7. Corrective Action
• Many R’s
– Replaced
– Repaired
– Remodeled
– Rerouted
– Re-grouted
– Reviewed
– Etc.

8. Preventive Measure
• Engaged Employees
– Communication
– Training and education
– Inclusion
– Awareness
– Observation
– Reinforcement

9. Reinforcement
9Confidential and Proprietary

10. Behavior Change Study
10Confidential and Proprietary
68%
82%
94%
Pre-Training Post-Training After 3
Observations
26%
Source: AFAB Journal, March 2014

11. Accountability
• Timely delivery of
consequences
• Level playing field
• Exceptions are a slippery
slope
• Build a strong ethic
• Consequences
• Don’t forget:
– Celebrate success
– Have fun

12. 12Confidential and Proprietary
holly.mockus@alchemysystems.com

13. THANK YOU
13Confidential and Proprietary