Food Hubs provide access to equipment; some of which are solely owned by the Food Hub and other pieces of equipment that may be owned by others, perhaps leased to the Food Hub or provided by a third party. The latter could be another HUB User of the Food Hub, that offers this equipment available for other HUB Users.

Equipment must be cleaned and maintained for continued function and food safety. These activities are shared responsibilities between HUB Management and HUB Users.

HUB Management must develop a maintenance schedule and report to HUB Users when the equipment is unavailable and the reason. If the reason is for a prolonged period due to needed maintenance or unexpected repairs, the HUB Users must be advised and/or notified if the equipment has been booked during this period.

Clean equipment that is in good repair and well maintained will ensure all HUB Users have continued access to this equipment for their needs.

This section of the manual provides examples of procedures and reporting forms.

For Hub owned equipment, Manuals must be available and used as the source for creating repair and maintenance schedules, prescribed lubricants to ensure continued efficacy and to maintain qualification for warranty with the manufacturer.

Cleaning methods will also be provided in Manuals for each piece of equipment as well as any disassembly instruction. Some generic pieces of equipment may not have attached manuals but a search online, in most cases, will provide details for the type of equipment and model number.

The costs of prescribed/recommended maintenance as well as the time required for conducting these activities should be considered as part of the regular overhead costs. The durable life of the equipment should also be considered for eventual replacement and budgetary decisions.

The Owner’s Manuals will also provide written and detailed instructions for use of the equipment including personal safety, lock out procedures, and cleaning procedures.

Maintaining records of these activities my seem onerous but a suggestion of creating a summary of the timelines for Maintenance for each of the pieces of equipment can identify the frequency of actions to create an efficient schedule optimizing the qualified personnel or contractor to conduct these activities. A single binder works well to include the specific equipment list and the timeline for maintenance (suggested lists included below under documents).

Qualified individuals must conduct the repairs of equipment and wear protective coverings for personal protection, particularly when disassembly is required.

All electrically based equipment should have CSA or equivalent certification. This will ensure insurance is valid in Canada as well as available parts and qualified equipment repair people will conduct the repairs as required.

Any chemicals, lubricants, or solvents etc. that are used within the food processing facility must be segregated and preferably in a locked cabinet to ensure unintentional use in a food or on a food contact surface does not occur. Respective MSDS documents must be available as well.

Of most significance is that repairs must not be conducted in the same area that food is being processed. This information could be included in the SOPs but the timing, cleaning and personnel to conduct these activities should be built into the Hub Budget.

Scheduling priority: