CHA Preventive Maintenance Procedures 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of a Master Sanitation Schedule (MSS) in relation to preventive maintenance?
- It replaces the PM schedule for all equipment
- It coordinates deep-cleaning tasks that complement equipment PM activities (Correct answer)
- It establishes employee training requirements
- It sets critical limits for biological hazards
Correct answer: It coordinates deep-cleaning tasks that complement equipment PM activities
The MSS schedules periodic deep-cleaning tasks that work alongside the PM program to keep equipment in food-safe condition.
Question 2: A maintenance technician replaces a gasket on a pasteurizer. The replacement gasket is not listed as food-grade. What should happen next?
- Continue production if the gasket looks similar to the original
- Stop production and replace with an approved food-grade gasket (Correct answer)
- Notify the customer of the change
- Log the change and review it at the next quarterly audit
Correct answer: Stop production and replace with an approved food-grade gasket
Non-food-grade materials in product-contact areas must be replaced immediately to prevent chemical contamination.
Question 3: Which maintenance strategy relies on sensor data and real-time monitoring to predict equipment failure before it occurs?
- Corrective maintenance
- Preventive maintenance
- Predictive maintenance (Correct answer)
- Reactive maintenance
Correct answer: Predictive maintenance
Predictive maintenance uses condition monitoring (vibration, temperature, oil analysis) to forecast failure and schedule repairs proactively.
Question 4: During a HACCP audit, the auditor reviews PM records for a metal detector. What would be a RED FLAG in those records?
- Records show calibration every shift using certified test pieces
- Records are missing for three consecutive weeks (Correct answer)
- Records include the name of the calibrating technician
- Records note the sensitivity setting at the time of calibration
Correct answer: Records are missing for three consecutive weeks
Gaps in metal detector maintenance and calibration records indicate the CCP control may not have been consistently verified, which is a serious finding.
Question 5: A facility discovers that a chiller compressor has not been serviced per schedule because the work order was never generated. The ROOT CAUSE most likely relates to:
- Insufficient refrigerant supply
- A failure in the PM scheduling or work order generation system (Correct answer)
- Operator error during production
- An inadequate CCP monitoring procedure
Correct answer: A failure in the PM scheduling or work order generation system
The failure to generate a work order points to a systemic breakdown in the PM planning or CMMS (computerized maintenance management system) process.
Question 6: In food safety management, what does the term 'maintenance-induced contamination' refer to?
- Contamination caused by improper employee hygiene
- Contamination introduced during or after maintenance activities (Correct answer)
- Equipment failures that contaminate product downstream
- Cross-contamination between allergen zones
Correct answer: Contamination introduced during or after maintenance activities
Maintenance-induced contamination occurs when maintenance activities introduce physical, chemical, or biological hazards into food or food-contact surfaces.
Question 7: Which of the following BEST describes the relationship between prerequisite programs (PRPs) and HACCP with respect to preventive maintenance?
- HACCP controls replace PRPs once CCPs are identified
- PM is a PRP that supports HACCP by controlling general equipment-related hazards (Correct answer)
- PRPs are optional when a full HACCP plan is in place
- HACCP plans must include PM procedures as critical limits
Correct answer: PM is a PRP that supports HACCP by controlling general equipment-related hazards
Preventive maintenance is a core prerequisite program that manages hazards broadly, allowing the HACCP plan to focus on specific critical control points.
CHA Preventive Maintenance Procedures 3
What is the purpose of a Master Sanitation Schedule (MSS) in relation to preventive maintenance?