Pest control is the prerequisite programme auditors check at every audit and find fault with most often, because the evidence lives in two places: on the site, and with the contractor. FSSC 22000 Version 7 requires pest control under the ISO/TS 22002 prerequisite programme for your sector and the additional requirements, BRCGS Issue 9 covers it in section 4.14 with explicit requirements for the contract, the inspection records, the bait station map, trend analysis and corrective action, and Regulation R638 requires pest control to be in place and recorded on every food premises. The records fail when the contractor’s visit report is in an email, the map on the wall is two refurbishments old, and nobody has drawn the trend that shows the rodent activity at the back door every winter.
What the records must show
A contract or documented in-house programme that names the contractor, the frequency and the scope. A site map showing every bait station, insect light trap and monitoring device with a unique number. A visit report for every scheduled visit, with findings per device, activity levels, products used and recommendations. Evidence that recommendations were acted on, by whom and when. Between-visit checks by site staff where the programme requires them. A trend analysis at a defined frequency, at least annually under BRCGS and quarterly as good practice, by device and by area. And the contractor’s competence: registration, training and the safety data sheets for every product used on site.
Where it goes wrong
The contractor leaves a report that is filed in the technician’s folder or emailed to the quality manager. One visit a quarter is missed and nobody notices until the audit. The map is a PDF the contractor keeps, and a station was moved when the new line went in. Recommendations such as “seal gap under door 4” are written on three consecutive reports because nobody tracks them as actions. The trend analysis is done the week before the audit from whatever reports can be found. Every one of these is a finding, and every one is a filing problem, not a pest problem.
What integration changes
ASCloud’s pest control integration, R650 per site per month, connects the site to the contractor. The device map is held on ASCloud with every station numbered and placed, and the contractor’s visit is a scheduled task that alerts the quality manager if it does not happen. The contractor records findings per device on the same system, or uploads the report against the visit, so the record is on site the moment the visit ends. Recommendations become corrective actions with an owner and a due date, visible on the dashboard until closed. Between-visit checks by site staff are a checklist on a phone against the same map. The trend by device and area is a report, drawn from the data, available any day of the year.
ASC Pest Control and other contractors
Sites that use ASC Pest Control have the technician recording directly on ASCloud during the visit. Sites that use another contractor can give the contractor a login to record on ASCloud, or have the quality team upload the report against the scheduled visit, with the alert, action tracking and trending working the same way.
What the auditor sees
The map, the schedule with every visit done, the findings per device, the open and closed actions, the trend by area and the contractor’s documents, all from one screen. The question “show me the last four visit reports and what you did about the recommendations” takes a minute. That is a prerequisite programme that is under control, and it reads that way in the report.
Pest control records that are never missing
Device map, scheduled visits with alerts, findings per device, actions tracked to closure and trends on demand. R650 per site per month on any ASCloud plan.
Frequently asked questions
Does my current contractor have to use ASCloud?
No. They can be given a login, or your team can upload their reports against the scheduled visit. The alerts, actions and trends work either way.
Is ASC Pest Control available everywhere?
ASC Pest Control operates in Gqeberha and Johannesburg and surrounding areas. Elsewhere, the integration works with your existing contractor.
How often should the trend analysis be done?
BRCGS Issue 9 requires trend analysis at least annually and an in-depth survey typically quarterly. On ASCloud the trend is available continuously, so the review is a reading of the chart.
Does it cover insect light traps and bird control?
Yes. Any monitoring device or control measure is placed on the map with its own schedule and findings.