
Facilities & Equipment
Harvest bins
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Someone (e.g. a supervisor) must have checked the bins for cleanliness, making sure there is no evidence of physical contamination, especially checking for bird droppings and mud build-up on the bottom of bins, as they will end up being stacked on top of each other.
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No broken bins are allowed to be used. Any broken or dirty bins must be set aside.
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The area where the bins are marshalled and stored shall be free of mud, loose soil, animals, faeces, or anything else that may contaminate the bins.
Picking bags
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Picking bags must be checked by the supervisor before starting work for the day. All picking bags must be visually clean and free of any debris. They must be checked for cleanliness before returning to work after a break.
Gloves
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Gloves must be changed between each orchard. They must be changed sooner if they become soiled or contaminated. The supervisor must check gloves before starting work.
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During breaks, gloves must not be placed on the ground or taken into toilet facilities. They must be stored appropriately - i.e. left in the picking bag.
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Workers must follow the hygiene instructions given to them. This should be checked by monitoring work. Especially focus on ensuring that workers are washing their hands after eating, smoking, drinking and before handling the fruit.
Vehicles and loading equipment
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Ensure that vehicles and any other equipment used in loading are in good condition and are clean. Especially for vehicles picking up bins.
Worker shelter
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You must also provide a sheltered area for workers to eat, that is away from fruit that has been removed from the vine.
Toilets and hand-washing
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There must be toilet and hand washing facilities within a 5-minute walk of where picking is taking place.
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Toilets must be clean and have sufficient toilet paper provided. Hand-washing facilities need to be close enough that workers use them during breaks.
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Instructions to wash hands as a minimum must be displayed. This must include clean water (town supply or water test to prove potable). If water is not proven potable, then hand sanitiser shall also be provided in addition to soap and water.
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There must be liquid soap, single-use towels and a rubbish bin provided wherever hand-washing facilities are present. Note: Bar soap and material hand-towels are not acceptable.
Drinking water (potable)
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Drinking water must be supplied and must be proven potable (unless town supply). For all sources of water that are not town supply, a water test result is required.
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Providing bottled water is a suitable alternative if there is no potable water available at the site.
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Workers can be instructed to bring their own water bottles as long as refill supplies are available (i.e. purchased bottled water or potable water).