Title 9

SECTION 354.34

354.34 Application for inspection service in official plants; approval.

§ 354.34 Application for inspection service in official plants; approval.

Any person desiring to process and pack products in a plant under inspection service must receive approval of such plant and facilities as an official plant prior to the rendition of such service. An application for inspection service to be rendered in an official plant shall be approved according to the following procedure:

(a) Initial survey. When application has been filed for inspection service as aforesaid, the area supervisor, or his assistant, shall examine the plant, premises, and facilities and shall specify any additional facilities required for the service. Appeals with respect to any such specification may be made to the national supervisor.

(b) Drawings and specifications to be furnished in advance of construction or alterations.

(1) Four copies of drawings or blueprints showing the features specified herein shall be submitted to the Administrator. The drawings or blueprints shall be legible, made with sharp, clear lines, and properly drawn to scale, and shall consist of floor plans and a plot plan.

(2) The plot plan shall show such features as the limits of the plant's premises, locations in outline of buildings on the premises, one point of the compass, and roadways and railroads serving the plant.

(3) The floor plan shall show all space to be included in the official plant. If rooms or compartments shown on the drawings or blueprints are not to be included as part of the official plant, this shall be clearly indicated thereon.

(4) The sheets of paper on which drawings or blueprints are made shall not exceed a size 34″ × 44″. The drawings other than of the plot plan shall be made to a scale of 1/8″ per foot, except that additional plans for some areas showing detail may be drawn to a scale of 1/4″ per foot. The plot plan may be drawn to a scale of not less than 1/32″ per foot. The drawings shall indicate the scale used and shall also indicate the floor shown (e.g., basement, first, or second).

(1) The principal pieces of equipment drawn to scale in the proper locations.

(2) The name of the firm and the address of the plant by street and street number, or by other means properly identifying the location of the plant.

(3) One point of the compass.

(4) The doors and openings for passageways, designating those which are self-closing or permanently closed.

(5) All floor drain openings and gutter drains.

(6) Lavatories in toilet and processing rooms (lavatories which are other than hand-operated shall be so designated on the drawings or blueprints).

(7) All steam and hot and cold water outlets for cleanup purposes.

(8) Ice-making and storage facilities.

(9) The point at which live rabbits are hung on the conveyor line, the point at which the ready-to-cook rabbits are removed, and any intermediate transfer points.

(10) The routes of the edible and inedible products.

(11) The location of fresh air inlets, exhaust fans, and hoods.

(d) Specifications. Specifications covering the following items shall accompany the drawings:

(1) Height of ceilings.

(2) Type of ceilings - open or closed.

(3) Finish of ceilings; for example - cement plaster, metal, marine plywood, cement, asbestos board, etc.

(4) Finish of walls; for example - cement plaster, glazed tile, glaze brick, glass blocks, etc.

(5) Screens - indicate whether all outside openings are screened or provided with other suitable devices against entrance of flies or other insects.

(6) Finish of floors - concrete, brick, mastic material, etc.

(7) Drainage - indicate the amount of slope of floors to the drains in processing rooms, coolers, toilets, and refuse rooms, and give description of trapping and venting of drainage lines and of floor drain openings. Indicate size of drainage lines and whether house drainage lines and toilet soil lines are separate to a point outside of buildings.

(8) Heating - indicate type.

(9) Water supply - indicate whether public or private water supply, or both, and specify in terms of gallons of water available per minute for the processing needs of the plant. Also indicate whether or not a nonpotable water supply is used for any purpose in the plant and, if so, specify such uses.

(10) Hot water facilities - specify facilities such as boilers, storage tanks, mixing valves, etc., and indicate the size and number of boilers and storage tanks.

(11) Specify number of men and number of women who will use each toilet room.

(12) Sewage disposal - indicate whether city sewer, cesspool, sedimentation tank, etc.

(13) Approximate rate of production - indicate hourly rate of slaughter and evisceration for rabbits.

(e) Rooms and compartments which must be included in the official plant. The official plant shall include employees' toilet and dressing rooms, office space for the inspectors, storerooms for supplies, refuse rooms, and rooms, compartments, or passageways where rabbits or any ingredients to be used in the preparation of products under inspection will be handled or kept. It also may include other rooms or compartments located in the buildings comprising the official plant.

(f) Changes in drawings or blueprints. When changes are proposed in areas for which drawings or blueprints have been previously approved, one of the following types of revised drawings or blueprints shall be submitted for review and consideration.

(1) A completely revised sheet or sheets showing proposed alterations or additions, or

(2) Approved pasters of the proposed changes which may be affixed to the affected areas on the previously approved drawings or blueprints in a manner not obscuring essential data. Paster drawings and blueprints shall be prepared to the same scale and presented on a background similar to that of the originally approved drawing or blueprint.

(g) Final survey and plant approval. Prior to the inauguration of the inspection service, a final survey of the plant and premises shall be made by the area supervisor or his assistant to determine if the plant is constructed and facilities are installed in accordance with the approved drawings and the regulations in this part. The plant may be approved by the Administrator only when these requirements have been met, except that conditional approval for a specified limited time may be granted only under emergency conditions of restricted availability of facilities and construction materials, provided practices suitable to the Administrator are employed to effect adequate sanitary conditions in the plant.

(Approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 0583-0036) [41 FR 23702, June 11, 1976, as amended at 47 FR 746, Jan. 7, 1982]