New Fire Safety Standards and Assessments Released by ISO

Fires often cause severe injuries, deaths, and very costly extensive building damage. It is important that the circumstances that can lead to a fire be managed correctly and preemptively. Recognizing this need, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) recently released of a new standard for fire prevention and mitigation.

The new ISO standard, ISO 16732-1 (Fire safety engineering – Fire risk assessment – Part 1: General), is intended for fire-safety practitioners to help them evaluate fire risks of all kinds and choose from existing technologies and strategies the most effective in preventing fire.

MDP Budget to be Cut and New Salmonella Research May End Food Safety Problems

The federation of State Public Interest Research Groups (PIRG) is up in arms over federal plans to cut the Agriculture Department's whole budget of $5 million for the Microbiological Data Program (MDG), effectively eliminating the nation’s largest produce testing program. According to PIRG, MDG is responsible for screening high-risk fresh produce for pathogens such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, conducting about 15,000 random tests a year.

Lawsuit Filed Against North Carolina Restaurant as Salmonella Outbreak Expands

A lawsuit has been filed against a Charlotte, North Carolina restaurant, Toast of Dilworth, which served Eggs Benedict that apparently sickened 10 customers with Salmonella enteritidis infection. The formal complaint was made by Seattle food-safety law firm Marler Clark on behalf of Bryan McWherter, a Charlotte resident.

Because food safety depends to a large degree on proper food handling, many restaurant owners today have made a ISOcampus 22000 Training or a food safety certification an employment requirement. Much needs to be done, however, judging from the current frequency of foodborne illnesses.

ISO 16817: Standard for Building Environment Design and Safety

Help is on the way for architects, interior designers, builders, and even regulators who are looking to ensure the health, safety, and well-being of users of interior spaces. It comes in the form of a new ISO standard for indoor visual environments.

According to the ISO, indoor visual comfort means not just comfortable, healthy lighting conditions for carrying out a task. The new ISO standard—ISO 16817:2012 (Building environment design – Indoor environment – Design process for visual environment) –supplies a framework for the parameters that will shape and determine the indoor environment.

A Decade of ISO 14001: From Intent To Implementation

A Decade of ISO 14001

Food Handlers, Food Safety, and the Restaurant Inspector

In his blog piece “Rapid City Journal (SD) does a decent job covering restaurant inspections,” writer Ben Chapman points out the importance of hiring the right staff with the right stuff to pass mandatory restaurant inspections. The right food safety training and the right food safety culture should be present, he says, to pass muster when the restaurant inspector comes calling.

Food Safety During The Cold Winter

The forecast this winter: Extreme cold weather ahead. The food-and-beverage industry has been duly served warning and rightly is prepping for the cold snap. Among the major concerns of restaurants and other food establishments are food safety handling storage, food safety management, and food safety processing.

Of particular worry this winter is outage. The Centers for Diseases and Control recommends the following guidelines if the power is out for over two hours:

• Be aware that a half-full freezer will hold food safely for up to 24 hours, a full freezer will hold food safely for 48 hours. To conserve the cold in the freezer, refrain from opening the freezer door unnecessarily.
• Nest in ice in a cooler consumables such as milk and other dairy products, meat, fish, eggs, gravy, and spoilable leftovers.
• Check food temperature (using a food thermometer) before food is cooked or served. Throw away any food that has a temperature of more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Don’t serve anything from a can that has been dented or damaged because it could already contain harmful pathogens like Clostridium botulinum, which causes botulism.

The role of food handlers in food safety is crucial, particularly in less-than-ideal conditions, such as during inclement weather. At ISOcampus.com, a full line of online training programs in ISO 22000 Training that addresses the important concerns of food safety handling storage, food safety management, and food safety processing.

Getting An ISO Certification

The International Standards Organization has managed a various set of quality management standards known as ISO 9001. Obtaining ISO certification can be helpful for businesses looking to improve their business operations in a competitive global marketplace and to assure the quality of the manufacturing systems. After having an ISO certificate, this will give lots of benefits such as displaying customer satisfaction and quality to clients, reliable processes, and to boost overall production. This is also to identify the financial impact for the organization after taking this certification.