Challenge

A large poultry processing plant in the Southeastern U.S. faced a significant challenge when German Cockroaches were discovered in the ceiling, specifically around light fixtures. The cockroaches had found harborage in the cracks and open spaces of the light fixtures due to improper tightening during routine maintenance. Additionally, there was a considerable amount of organic matter buildup on the ceiling that had gone unnoticed by the in-house sanitation crew. As a result, the facility had to shut down its production line until the pest issue was resolved, resulting in unforeseen downtime.

Solution

PSSI Pest was contacted by the processing plant and received an immediate response from their dedicated pest prevention team. Within one hour, the team arrived onsite to address the issue. Recognizing the urgency of the situation, the PSSI Pest team requested the presence of the plant’s maintenance and safety teams while in route to facilitate a collaborative effort upon arrival. The team quickly accessed the affected area, which was out of the initial scope of work to conduct a thorough inspection.

Based on their findings, the PSSI Pest team provided a detailed inspection report to the plant and identified a root cause diagnosis. The report outlined necessary actions, including structural repairs to the light fixtures by the maintenance team and the cleaning of the organic buildup by the sanitation crew.

Additionally, PSSI Pest conducted follow-up treatments and inspections the next day, ensuring the complete resolution of the pest infestation. Multiple follow-ups were conducted, including pre-inspections of the treated area and monitoring of other potential harborage areas.

Result

Due to the successful partnership between the processing plant and PSSI Pest, the facility was able to resume operations within an impressive timeframe of six hours. The collaboration resulted in diagnosing the root cause of issue and an establishment of processes to ensure future pest prevention in the facility including additional inspecting high-potential harborage areas which have now been incorporated into standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the maintenance, sanitation, and pest control teams.

PSSI Pest’s quick response, knowledge of the facility layout, thorough inspection, and implementation of appropriate pest control measures ensured that the facility could quickly resume operations, safeguarding the quality of their products and ensuring the production of safe food for all.