Givens Engineering provides PSR services for food grade cranes. Food grade cranes are lifting devices designed to be in a food processing or pharmaceutical manufacturing environment where contamination must be mitigated, and equipment needs to be washdown compliant. Because food grade cranes are lifting devices, they require a PSR (or PHSR) in the province of Ontario.
A PSR is a Prestart Health and Safety Review which is required by the Ontario Health and Safety Act, Reg 851, Section 7 for “a travelling crane or other lifting device suspended from or supported by a structure”.
The Importance of Regular PSRs on Food-Grade Lifting Equipment
PSRs on food-grade lifting equipment carry an extra liability:
- To some extent, the PSR must deal with the likelihood of dirt or contamination being trapped in or on the equipment.
- It must be shown that all reasonable steps have been taken to ensure that a typical washdown will wash away all dirt and will not cause oils and grease to ooze out of the equipment.
- There should not be any enclosed spaces or hard-to-clean areas; parts should be connected by welding rather than bolting.
- Water should run off a machine part, if possible, rather than collecting and remaining.
- Bearings should be made of stainless steel and contain food-grade grease.
- In general, stainless steel should be used everywhere and paint should not be used (paint will chip off and fall into food).
What Happens During a Food Grade PSR?
The PSR would consist of a site visit to look at the food grade crane and how it is installed, followed up by a report.
The report would consist of 3 parts:
- Scope of Work, describing the crane requiring the PSR and delineating what surrounding equipment is not part of the PSR.
- Observations and Deficiencies, which is the bulk of the report, contains written observations, layouts, photographs, etc., and ends with a list of deficiencies, if there are any.
- Letter of Compliance, which is what a Ministry of Labour inspector will ask to see as proof that a PSR has been done, and which usually states that the crane is compliant with the Occupational Health and Safety Act providing that a number of deficiencies are corrected.
Comprehensive PSR Services for Food Grade Cranes
Givens Engineering designs and fabricates stainless steel lifting equipment! Contact us for a quote on your next food-grade project.
Not sure if your stainless crane requires a PSR? Contact us to get your questions answered or to get a quote for a PSR report.