A hazard is a biological, chemical or physical agent that can harm health. Allergens are a chemical hazard, but many businesses treat them as a fourth type (Notice 2022/C 355/01, Annex II, section 5.1).
How it is done
- At each step of the diagram, list the hazards that are reasonably expected.
- Decide which ones it is essential to prevent, eliminate or reduce: these are the significant hazards. Consider the likelihood and severity of harm, whether microbes can survive or multiply, toxins and chemical residues, foreign bodies such as glass or metal, who the food is for and what the customer might do wrong with it.
- For each hazard, describe the control measure that prevents, eliminates or reduces it. Control measures must be validated (section 5.2).
The worksheet
The Commission suggests a table with these columns: step; hazard (B biological, C chemical, P physical, A allergen); whether it is reasonably expected; why; and the measure that controls it (section 5.3).
- Hazards with the same source and the same control can be grouped: for example, bacteria killed by cooking on one side and spore-forming bacteria on the other.
- In a small business it is enough to describe, in a simple practical way, how each hazard is controlled, as long as all the significant ones are covered and it says what to do if something goes wrong.
In practiceStep «receiving chicken»: hazard B (Salmonella, Campylobacter). Reasonably expected?
Yes: it is raw poultry. Measure: receive it chilled, put it in the cold room straight away and cook it thoroughly later. Step
«dessert display»: hazard P (glass if a glass breaks). Measure: good practice for glassware and for what to do if something
breaks.
Source: Regulation (EC) No 852/2004 on the hygiene of foodstuffs (consolidated text), Article 5(2)(a) · Commission Notice 2022/C 355/01 on food safety management systems (good hygiene practices and procedures based on the HACCP principles), Annex II, sections 5.1 to 5.3