orientation manual final april 5

New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Orientation Manual

New Brunswick Provincial Dairy Lab

Orientation Manual

Document Control

Document information Department Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture

Unit Dairy Laboratory

Document title Dairy Laboratory Orientation Manual

Author Joan Allaby

Version 1.0

Status Final

Filename R:\Dairy lab\manuals\orientation

Document history

Version Date Change Editor Approver

V 1.0 April 5, 2015 new document Joan Allaby Joan Allaby

NB Provincial Dairy Laboratory i

Orientation Manual

Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................... 1 Welcome ..................................................................................................................................... 1

Purpose of this manual ............................................................................................................. 1 Manual contents ........................................................................................................................ 1

2. Organizational structure .................................................................................. 2 The Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture .............................................. 2 Animal Health Service’s Branch .............................................................................................. 2 Dairy Laboratory ...................................................................................................................... 3

3. NB Dairy Industry .............................................................................................. 4 Producers .................................................................................................................................... 4 Processing plants ....................................................................................................................... 4 Transporters ............................................................................................................................... 5

4. The Laboratory’s purpose ................................................................................ 6 A brief history ............................................................................................................................ 6 Regulatory role ........................................................................................................................... 6 Natural Products Act ........................................................................................................... 6 NB Milk Quality Regulation ............................................................................................... 7

Important relationships ............................................................................................................ 7 NB Farm Products Commission ....................................................................................... 7 Agri-Food Inspection .......................................................................................................... 8

5. Analyses ............................................................................................................ 9 Raw Milk Quality Program ...................................................................................................... 9 Sample schedule ................................................................................................................... 9 Routine tests ......................................................................................................................... 9

Antibiotic testing ....................................................................................................................... 11 Antibiotics in milk ................................................................................................................ 11 Inhibitor routes ..................................................................................................................... 12 A critical test ......................................................................................................................... 12 Infractions and penalties .......................................................................................................... 13 Composition Testing for Payment Program ......................................................................... 13

6. Laboratory accreditation................................................................................. 15 ISO 17025 ................................................................................................................................... 15 The quality management system ............................................................................................ 15 Staff responsibilities .................................................................................................................. 16

7. Lab work schedule ............................................................................................ 17 Work rotation ............................................................................................................................. 17 Common duties ......................................................................................................................... 17 Team work ................................................................................................................................ 17 Weekend overtime and standby .............................................................................................. 18

NB Provincial Dairy Laboratory ii

Orientation Manual

8. Lab safety Laboratory Safety Manual ........................................................................................................ 19

Safety equipment ....................................................................................................................... 19 Safety training ............................................................................................................................. 20

First aid .................................................................................................................................. 20 Other courses and resources .............................................................................................. 20

Glossary ................................................................................................................... 21

Index ........................................................................................................................ 24

NB Provincial Dairy Laboratory iii

Orientation Manual/1

1. Introduction

Welcome Welcome to the New Brunswick Provincial Dairy Lab. As a new employee with the Dairy Lab, you are joining a dedicated team of technologists who take pride in their role in the province’s dairy industry. The staff of the Dairy Lab welcomes you and hopes you will find your work at the lab enjoyable and rewarding.

Purpose of this manual

On their first day of work, new Dairy Lab employees used to be given a brief tour of the lab and a quick introduction to other staff before being assigned to a senior technologist to begin their technical training. Over time, however, it became evident to senior staff that the training we were providing our new employees was incomplete. While new employees might learn to perform the techniques and tests properly, they were uncertain about other aspects of their work in the lab.

We’ve created this manual to fill in the gaps so that you, the new employee, can better appreciate the work you will be doing and the team you will be working with. We hope that by providing essential background information about your new workplace, we will help make your first days, weeks and months in the lab easier and more rewarding.

Please note: This manual belongs to you. Feel free to write notes in the margins or on the backs of pages. And ask questions–lots of questions–whenever something isn’t clear to you or you’re just wondering “ why?”

The manual’s contents This manual introduces new employees to the Dairy Lab: its purpose, organization and activities. The manual has been divided into the following sections: 1. Introduction 2. Organizational structure 3. NB dairy industry 4. Overview of the laboratory’s purpose 5. Overview of testing 6. Laboratory accreditation 7. Overview of work schedule 8. Safety

NB Provincial Dairy Laboratory


2. Organizational Structure

The Department The Dairy Lab is a unit within the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries, or DAAF. Information about the Department can be found on-line at http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/10.html. Under the About us tab you will find information about the department’s structure, employees, offices and services.

In addition to the Government of New Brunswick website, department employees have access to the DAAF internal website, OurNet, at http://afaapaintranet/ournet/index.htm. Department announcements and memos are posted here. You will also find human resources and information technology contacts and policies listed here.

Animal Health Services Branch The Dairy Lab is part of the Animal Health Services Branch under the Department’s Regional Development Division. The branch includes

Veterinary laboratory and pathology services Veterinary field services and veterinary clinic Includes seven regional units

Fish health services Includes the Fish Health Lab in St. George

Food Quality and Safety unit Includes the Dairy Lab

The following chart illustrates the Dairy Lab’s reporting relationships:

Minister Rick Doucet

Deputy Minister Denis Carron

Assistant Deputy Minister – Regional Development Hélène Lacroix

Animal Health Services Branch Director Sandi McGeachy

Food Quality and Safety Manager Greg Sweetland

Dairy Laboratory Supervisor & Quality Manager


http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/10.html

http://afaapaintranet/ournet/index.htm


Laboratory organization chart The following chart lists the names and positions of the staff currently working at the Dairy Laboratory. The positions listed below are permanent full-time or part-time positions. The lab occasionally employs technologists in casual or term positions when the need arises.

Laboratory Technologist II

Lesley Wilbur

Laboratory Technologist IV Supervisor

Joan Allaby


Leyda Osuna


vacant

Laboratory Assistant (part time)

Sally Lunnie



3. The NB Dairy Industry The dairy industry in New Brunswick, and across the country, is a highly regulated sector. The amount of raw milk farmers produce is controlled through a quota system to match market demands. This type of regulated system is referred to as supply management, and its goal is to eliminate the problem of surpluses and shortages and provide a steady supply of milk at stable prices.1

The dairy industry includes farmers–or producers, as they are referred to in the industry–processors, and transporters. In many provinces, government departments assist the industry by providing laboratory services, veterinary services, inspection services and dairy specialists.

Producers In order to sell milk in the province, a dairy farmer must apply to the New Brunswick Farm Products Commission for a licence. Licensed producers are assigned a unique producer number. There are approximately 205 licensed dairy producers in New Brunswick. In order to receive and retain their licences, producers must meet rigorous standards with respect to their premises (i.e. farms) and the quality of their raw milk.

Producers in this province are represented by the Dairy Farmers of New Brunswick (DFNB), a non-profit organization funded by producers and led by an elected board of directors composed of dairy farmers from across the province. Producers market their raw milk collectively through DFNB. In effect, producers sell their milk to DFNB, which in turn sells the milk to the processing plants.

Processing plants There are three main milk processing plants in New Brunswick: Baxter Foods in Saint John, Northumberland Coop in Miramichi and Dairytown Products Limited in Sussex. The latter two are owned by Agropur Dairy Cooperative, and Baxters is owned by Saputo Inc.

Baxters and Northumberland Coop are fluid plants, i.e. they produce fluid milk products like the cartons of milk sold in grocery stores. Dairytown is an industrial milk plant. It produces dairy products such as skim milk powder, whey protein concentrate and butter that it sells to the retail, food service, food processing and institutional markets.

1 Dairy Farmers of Ontario: http://www.milk.org/Corporate/PDF/Media-OntarioMilkIndustry.pdf



Transporters Most dairy farmers milk their cows twice a day. The milk from all the cows is piped into a large refrigerated tank, referred to as a bulk tank. The milk truck comes every two days to collect the milk from a farm. This means that on any given day, milk is collected from half of the farms in the province. The next day, the milk is collected from the other half of the farms.

When collecting milk, the milk truck driver follows a specific route, stopping at each of the farms on the route. A milk truck hauls two refrigerated tanks into which goes the milk from all the farms on the route. Usually, the milk from a specific farm goes into either the front or the back tank of the truck. When a driver has completed his route, he then delivers his load to the designated milk processing plant.

Only drivers licensed by the Farm Products Commission as bulk tank milk graders are authorized to collect milk. Before pumping the milk from a farm tank into the milk truck’s tank, the driver follows an established procedure to evaluate the milk and determine that it is acceptable for pick up. He then turns on the tank’s agitator and allows the milk to mix for several minutes before taking a sample of the milk in a clean, sterile vial. He labels the vial with a pre-printed barcode label that identifies the producer number and stores the sample in an ice-filled cooler while he completes his route. When he arrives at the processing plant, he delivers the route of samples to the staff at the plant, who keep them in a cooler until needed



4. The Laboratory’s Purpose

A brief history The NB Provincial Dairy Laboratory was established by the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development in 1974 as the Central Milk Testing Laboratory. At that time, the lab was under the umbrella of the New Brunswick Dairy Products Commission, whose mandate was to ensure that New Brunswick consumers had a secure supply of high quality milk.

In 1985, the legislative assembly dissolved the Dairy Products Commission and transferred its responsibilities to the New Brunswick Farm Products Marketing Commission, known more simply today as the New Brunswick Farm Products Commission. The Commission administers the Natural Products Act and the regulations under the Act and supervises all producer commodity groups that are formed under the Act, including DFNB.

For many years, the Dairy Lab was under the direction of the Commission. After a major departmental re-organization in 2002, however, the lab was moved to a different branch within the department. Currently, the lab is part of the Animal Health Services Branch. While the lab has seen many personnel, organizational and technological changes over the years, its primary purpose has always remained the same: to ensure the high quality and safety of the province’s milk supply.

The lab’s regulatory role The Natural Products Act As previously mentioned, the dairy industry in this province is highly regulated. Because milk has long been considered a dietary staple for many people, governments, working with industry, have enacted legislation that ensures consumers have access to a safe, high quality product.

In New Brunswick, the Natural Products Act, which is administered by the Farm Products Commission, is the legislation that provides for the establishment of standards for dairy products and for the facilities used in the production, marketing and processing of those products. This legislation gives the Commission the power to make regulations respecting the control and inspection of dairy farms, as well as the construction, installation and maintenance of equipment used in the dairy products trade.

The most important regulation under the Natural Products Act with respect to the dairy industry and the Dairy Lab is NB Regulation 2010-19, the Milk Quality Regulation.



NB Milk Quality Regulation The Milk Quality Regulation contains the details of the standards that dairy producers, transporters and processors must meet. There is a copy of the regulation in the annex at the back of this manual. You can also find it on-line (as you can all government regulations) at http://laws.gnb.ca/en/ShowPdf/cr/2010-19.pdf.

The Milk Quality Regulation covers the following items:

1. Dairy Farm a. Dairy barn b. Dairy milking barn c. Milking parlour d. Milk house e. Farm bulk tank f. Milking equipment and utensils g. Cow health

2. Bulk Tank Milk Graders 3. Transporters 4. Bulk Milk Receiving and Wash Station 5. Bulk Milk Receiving Station 6. Milk Transfer Station 7. Testing of Raw Milk

You will gain a much better appreciation of the dairy industry and the role of the Dairy Lab and other government departments in the industry if you take the time to read this regulation, including the definitions at the beginning of the regulation that explain terms such as “bulk tank milk grader".

Section 56 (1) of the regulation, under “Testing of Raw Milk” is particularly important to the dairy lab. This section read as follows:

Raw milk shall be tested by a person or a laboratory designated by the Commission.

So, it is through this line of legislation that the Dairy Lab has been appointed the official testing laboratory for the purposes of the Act and the regulation. It is, in essence, the lab’s reason for existing.

Important relationships NB Farm Products Commission The Commission is an nine-member board appointed by the Lieutenant-Governor and composed of individuals from various sectors of the province’s agriculture industry. The Commission has a staff of three permanent DAAF employees: a general manager, commodity analyst and regulations analyst. Commission staff devote a large portion of their time to issues relating to the dairy industry.



The Dairy Lab was closely linked to the Commission and its staff for many years. Governments, however, have a habit of periodically reorganizing departments. Consequently, the link between the Commission and the lab is not as direct as it once was. However, the activities and concerns of the Commission and the Dairy Lab often overlap, especially when the raw milk standards in the Milk Quality Regulation are being updated or modified.

Agri-Food Inspection group As discussed earlier, the Natural Products Act and Milk Quality Regulation establish standards for dairy farms. The Department of Health Agri-Food Inspection Branch is responsible for monitoring conditions on dairy farms. The inspection group consists of five inspectors, who cover different regions of the province, and their manager. You may hear these inspectors referred to as the “barn inspector” or “dairy inspector” although they are also concerned with commodities other than dairy.

Inspection staff inspect all dairy farms at least once a year to make sure that producers are meeting the parts of the Milk Quality Regulation that apply to dairy farms. During their inspections they evaluate the design and construction of the facilities, sanitation, and animal health and housing. They also work with producers to help solve any milk quality problems producers may be experiencing as indicated by their lab tests. The inspectors are also responsible for inspecting the work of the milk truck drivers, the milk trucks and the part of the milk processing plant where the milk is received and transferred.

The lab works closely with the inspection group; in fact, the Fredericton area inspector has his office in the lab. The inspectors are responsible for sending the samples into the lab for testing, either by delivering them personally or through a courier. Inspectors frequently call the lab with information about samples or to ask for test results or request special samples. As a new employee, you will find it helpful to learn their names and the regions they are responsible for:

Louise Mason ....................................... Manager - Fredericton Yves Martin .......................................... Fredericton Blaine Friars .......................................... Sussex Linda Bourgeois ................................... Moncton Rachel Vautour .................................... North Marcel Desrosiers ................................ Edmundston/St. Quentin



5. Analyses The lab is responsible for performing the analyses in two testing programs: the Raw Milk Quality Program and the Payment Program.

Raw milk quality program The Milk Quality Regulation includes standards for the quality of the raw milk being produced as well as for conditions on the dairy farm itself. The raw milk quality program encompasses the inspection and testing work that is involved in ensuring producers are meeting the standards. Producers who do not meet a specific standard receive an infraction. If the infraction continues, the producer will be assessed a penalty.

The Agri-Food Inspection group looks after the on-farm component of this program, while the Dairy Lab is responsible for the testing component. In the lab, we usually refer to this testing as routine microbiology or just routine micro. The cost of this program is covered by government.

The sampling schedule Under the raw milk quality program, the lab receives a sample of each producer’s bulk tank milk once a month. With over 200 producers in the province, the lab cannot test all producers at the same time. The lab usually does routine micro testing over a period of two days, three weeks out of the month. Samples from different areas of the province are tested on different weeks according to a schedule determined by the manager of the Agri-Food Inspection group. The sampling schedule is randomized so that the same producers are not tested on the same day or the same week every month.

The samples are collected by the milk truck driver when he picks ups the milk at the farms along his route (see Section 3 - Transporters). Samples for routine micro must be less than 36 hours old, so samples are always collected and shipped one day and tested early the next day. The inspection staff transport the samples to the lab or ship them by courier in ice-filled coolers. Because part of the testing includes bacterial counts, it’s very important that the samples remain cold (below 4°C) from the moment of collection until testing is completed.

The samples usually arrive at the lab early in the morning, and staff start processing the samples right away. The lab performs the following tests on each routine raw milk producer sample every month:

Routine tests Bacterial counts

The lab does two types of routine bacterial counts: a standard plate count (SPC) and laboratory pasteurization count (LPC). A standard plate count is a measure of the total number of bacteria present in a raw milk



sample. A high count, i.e. above 30,000 cfu2/ml, may be a result of poor sanitation or it may indicate mastitis in the herd. (Mastitis is an inflammation of the mammary gland and is common in milking cows.) A SPC count above 50,000 cfu/ml is an infraction.

An LPC is a measure of the total number of bacteria present in a raw milk sample that has been pasteurized in the lab. In this test, a technologist heats a sample of raw milk for 35 minutes at 62.8°C. This process kills many of the bacteria present in the milk but not all. A high LPC usually points to an equipment problem and means that there is bacterial buildup somewhere in the milking system that the automated washing system has not dislodged.

Freezing temperature Because milk is almost 90% water it freezes at a temperature very close to that of water (0°C). In North America, the average freezing point of pure, fresh milk from healthy cows is -0.540°H. Note that the freezing temperature of milk is measured in degrees Hortvet, a scale most people have never heard of but about which you will learn more later in your training.

If the proportion of water in a sample of milk increases, the freezing temperature of that sample will be higher, i.e. closer to 0.000°C. In the lab, we measure freezing temperature using an instrument called a cryoscope. If a producer’s raw milk sample tests above the normal range for milk (i.e. closer to 0.000°H) it means there is too much water in the milk. Milk that tests -0.530°H to -0.525°H is suspected of containing added water. Milk that tests -0.524°H and higher (remember these temperatures are below 0.00°H so higher means closer to 0.00°H) is presumed to contain added water.

According to the Milk Quality Regulation a producer’s raw milk sample must not contain added water. There are three main reasons why a producer’s milk may contain added water:

Equipment problems The most common reason for the presence of added water in milk is an equipment problem on the farm. For example, wash water from the pipeline has gotten into the bulk tank because a valve was left open too long.

Nutrition Cows fed too many potatoes may produce watery milk.

Fraud A rare occurrence these days, but a producer may have intentionally added water to the tank to increase milk volume, which is considered fraud.

2 Cfu/ml = colony forming units per millilitre of sample



Somatic cell count

Somatic cells in milk are another indicator of milk quality and more importantly herd health. A somatic cell is any cell of the body except sperm and egg cells. In milk, the majority of somatic cells are leukocytes or white cells. When a cow is suffering mastitis, the number of somatic cells in her milk is usually increased significantly. The somatic cell count might also be increased if a cow is under stress, injured or an older animal.

Somatic cells can contain lipolytic and proteolytic enzymes, which degrade fats and proteins, respectively. An increase in somatic cells during a mastitis infection increases the levels of these enzymes in the milk, which in turn increases the rate of deterioration of the milk fat and protein. Producers maintain herd health and milk quality by monitoring their somatic cell counts. In the Milk Quality Regulation, the standard for somatic cells in a producer’s raw milk bulk tank sample is less 400,000 somatic cells/ml.

While we include the somatic cell count with the routine micro tests, this test is not a microbiology test. The lab uses the Bentley FCM, an automated instrument that stains the DNA of the somatic cells in a sample and then employs flow cell cytometry technology to count the stained cells.

Antibiotic testing Antibiotics in milk Bacterial counts, somatic cell counts and freezing temperature are indicators of milk quality. The most critical test the lab does, however, does not concern food quality but food safety: it is a test to determine if a milk sample contains antibiotic residues. Antibiotics are used on many farms to treat mastitis and other infections. When a cow is treated with antibiotics, traces of the antibiotics end up in her milk. Milk contaminated with antibiotics is serious concern for the dairy industry for two reasons:

Some individuals are hypersensitive to certain antibiotics, and they can suffer serious allergic reactions if they consume milk that contains that antibiotic.

Bacterial cultures are used to make certain dairy products like yogurt and cheese. Since antibiotics inhibit the growth of bacteria, if milk containing antibiotics is used to make these dairy products the process will not work.

Producers must discard the milk from animals that are being treated with antibiotics or collect it in a separate tank from the rest of the milk until the recommended withholding period is past. It must not go in to the farm’s



regular bulk tank with the other milk for pickup. A producer whose milk tests positive for antibiotics, also referred to as inhibitors, will be assessed a penalty on the first infraction.

The most commonly prescribed antibiotics belong to the β-lactam family of drugs, which includes penicillin. In the lab, we have tests that detect β-lactam compounds as well as tests for tetracycline and sulfa drugs. These tests are quick, taking less than ten minutes to complete, specific and sensitive.

Inhibitor routes No farmer wants to ship milk that contains antibiotics, but accidents do happen, and milk from a treated cow may end up in the bulk tank. Before a milk truck is unloaded at a dairy processing plant, the milk receiver takes a sample of the milk from each tank of the truck. The plant staff tests the milk for antibiotics (β -lactam group only as this is by far the most commonly used group of antibiotics in the industry), using the same quick test that our lab uses. The milk is pumped off the truck and into the plant’s holding tanks only if it test’s negative.

If a truck tests positive, the local Agri-food Inspector and the Dairy Lab are contacted. The inspector arranges for the truck samples and all the producer samples that belong with that truck, i.e. the samples the driver collected when he picked up the milk at each farm on his route (see Section 3 – Transporters) to be shipped to the lab as soon as possible. This group of samples is referred to as an inhibitor route. A truck that tests positive for antibiotics is referred to as a positive load.

Lab staff test the truck samples for antibiotics, either confirming or negating the processing plant’s results. The lab then proceeds to test each of the producer samples to determine which producer(s) sample contains antibiotics and has possibly contaminated a truckload of milk.

As explained above, milk that tests positive for antibiotics must not be used for human consumption. If the lab confirms that a truck is contaminated with antibiotics, the milk in that truck must be discarded, which equates to thousands of dollars going down the drain. If the lab tests one (or more) of the producers from the route positive, then that producer not only faces a penalty for an inhibitor infraction but is financially responsible for the cost of the milk that was dumped.

A critical test Lab staff must be available to conduct follow-up antibiotic testing whenever a truck tests positive at a dairy, including after hours, weekends and holidays. The staff at the processing plant will not unload the milk from the truck until the lab confirms the milk is negative for antibiotics. For this reason, a staff person is always on standby on weekends and holidays.

In addition, producers sometimes bring cow samples or their bulk tank samples to the lab for antibiotic testing. In the case of the latter, the



producer fears that milk from a treated cow has mistakenly been added to the bulk tank. The producer wants to ensure the milk is safe to ship before the milk truck arrives for its scheduled pick-up. Both bulk tank samples and inhibitor routes are priority testing in the lab as the results are critical to the producer, the processor and the consumer.

Infractions and penalties Producers face consequences if the quality of their raw milk does not meet the standards set out in the regulation. If a producer’s milk does not meet the standard, the producer receives an infraction. For bacterial counts and somatic cell counts, producers are allowed three infractions in a rolling 12-month period. After the fourth infraction, the producer is assessed a financial penalty. The penalty is equal to a percentage of the producer’s monthly milk cheque and is collected by DFNB. The penalty increases with every infraction that the producer receives above the maximum. In the case of freezing temperature (added water) and antibiotics, a producer receives a financial penalty on the very first infraction.

Dairy Lab technologists need to know the standards and understand the infraction and penalty system. More important, staff should understand that the work they do and the test results they produce have a very real impact on producers.

The chart below summarizes the standards and infraction limits for different tests performed in the lab.

Test Standard # of infractions allowed in 12 months

Penalty after infraction # in 12 months

Standard plate count ≤ 50,000 cfu/ml 3 4th

Lab pasteurization count ≤ 1,000 cfu/ml. 3 4th

Somatic cell count ≤ 400,000 cells/ml. 3 4th

Freezing temperature ≥ -0.525° Hortvet 0 1st

Antibiotics none present 0 1st

Composition testing for payment program The second testing program that the lab is responsible for is the composition testing for payment program. The payment program refers to the compositional testing the lab does for dairy farmers in New Brunswick (through DFNB) and in Nova Scotia (through Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia – DFNS) and other clients. In this testing, the lab determines the percentage of fat, protein and lactose (also called “components”) in producers’ raw milk bulk tank samples. These values, combined with other



factors, are used to determine how much producers will be paid for their milk – hence the term “payment.” Clients pay for this testing.

The Bentley FTS infrared analyzer is set up in the main lab. It is half of a combined testing unit. The second half of the unit is the Bentley FCM somatic cells counter described earlier in this section. The two instruments are linked by a conveyor and share a common computer and autosampler. The autosampler is equipped with a barcode reader that reads the producer barcode labels on the caps of the sample vials. On this combined unit, samples are tested for both components and somatic cells at the same time.

Currently, the lab tests milk from every New Brunswick and Nova Scotia producer four times (or periods) a month for components and somatic cells. For every New Brunswick producer, one of these four samples is the same sample used for testing in the raw milk quality program.

You will sometimes hear composition samples referred to as “fresh samples.” The term “fresh” refers to the fact that the samples do not contain a preservative. The payment program used to involve collecting and preserving producer milk samples over the course of the month and testing a composite sample only at the end of the month.



6. Accreditation

ISO 17025 The Dairy Lab is an ISO 17025 accredited facility. What does this mean and why do you need to know? ISO stands for the International Organization for Standardization. ISO develops and publishes international standards3 for different industries. Standard 17025–General requirements for the competence of testing and calibration laboratories– is the main ISO standard used by testing and calibration laboratories.

ISO establishes the standard. It does not grant accreditation. Accreditation is granted by an accreditation body whose auditors evaluate a laboratory’s management and technical systems to determine if the lab meets the criteria set out in the standard. In Canada, there are two accrediting bodies that deal with laboratories: the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) and the Canadian Association of Laboratory Accreditation. The Dairy Lab has been accredited by the SCC since the mid-1990s.

A lab that is ISO 17025 accredited is recognized as being technically competent. Accreditation is a stamp of approval that says the lab is committed to quality, competence and producing reliable results. Customers trust the results that an accredited lab provides. Accreditation helps laboratories deliver services with confidence and gain new customers.

Lab staff put a lot of effort into achieving accreditation, but the work doesn’t stop once accreditation is granted. Maintaining accreditation is a continuous process. Larger labs often have a quality manager whose sole responsibility it to make sure the lab continues to meet the ISO 17025 standard. In the Dairy Lab, one person fills the role of quality manager and laboratory supervisor. Here are just a few of the tasks the Dairy Lab must undertake to meet requirements:

Achieve acceptable results in a regular proficiency testing program Maintain and control extensive documentation Perform annual internal audits of its technical and management system Undergo annual assessments by SCC to verify that the lab is still meeting requirements Undergo biennial audits by SCC auditors

Quality management system You will hear lab staff refer to the Quality Manual and the quality management system. An organization’s quality management system is the system that an organisation uses to manage the quality of its services or

3 A standard is a document that provides requirements, specifications, guidelines or characteristics that can be used consistently to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose;



products. It encompasses the organization’s structure, policies, procedures, processes and resources, in fact everything that contributes to managing quality.

The Quality Manual is an integral part of the quality management system. The Quality Manual outlines how the lab conforms to the standard. It references the lab’s policies, quality procedures and technical work instructions. One of your first task as a new employee will be to review the ISO 17025 standard and read the lab’s quality manual. Eventually you will be expected to familiarize yourself with all aspects of the lab’s quality management system

Staff responsibilities While it may appear that the quality manager/laboratory supervisor is the person primarily responsible for lab accreditation and the lab’s quality management system, all staff play a role in determining whether the laboratory meets the stated objectives of its quality system. All laboratory personnel are involved in work covered by the quality management system, and are responsible for

Identifying and recording quality problems. Initiating or recommending solutions to quality problems. Verifying the implementation of solutions. Accreditation and the quality system are never one person’s responsibility. Lab staff work as a team to meet accreditation requirements and ensure that the lab continues to produce timely and reliable results and provide a quality service to its clients.



7. Lab Work Schedule

Work rotation Because the Dairy lab is a small facility with a limited staff, all technologists must be competent in all areas of the lab. Staff rotate through the main testing areas, spending two weeks in the microbiology lab then two weeks in the composition lab. Usually, two technologists work in the microbiology lab at the same time. As a new employee, you will be trained in one area first and remain in that area for several weeks so that you have time to become comfortable with those procedures before moving into the other lab.

Staff may be assigned additional tasks or special projects depending on their particular skills and interest, like updating manuals, creating new forms and spreadsheets, incorporating new technology, or investigating new procedures.

Common duties In addition to the specific testing done in the microbiology and composition labs, when the lab assistant is not present (the lab assistant works only part time), all staff are responsible for cleaning glassware, sterilizing equipment, shipping and receiving, general lab housekeeping and similar duties.

Team work and flexibility You’ll discover that, although staff may be assigned to one area of the lab, they don’t hesitate to help out in another area when they can if their colleagues are especially busy. The technologists in the Dairy Lab function very much as a team. The team’s goal is to process the samples the lab receives and release reliable results in a timely manner while maintaining a high level of customer service and in accordance with the lab’s quality policies and procedures.

In addition, with vacations, illness and other unexpected events, a technologist must be able to fill in for another technologist at a moment’s notice. You may come in to work one morning prepared to process samples on the infrared analyzer and be asked by the lab supervisor to work in the microbiology lab instead. Some employees don’t like such sudden change in plans, but it’s important to be flexible and be able to work where you are need.



Weekend overtime and standby As was indicated in the competition poster for the technologist position and mentioned in your interview, technologists at the Dairy lab are sometimes required to come into work on weekends and to be on standby weekends and holidays. Fortunately, staff are usually required to come into the lab only to move microbiology samples from the incubator into the cooler, a task that takes less than ten minutes. Depending on the microbiology testing schedule, you may have to come in on Saturday or Sunday or both days.

According to the laboratory technologists’ collective agreement, if you have already worked a full work week and you are required to work additional hours on the weekend, even if it’s only for a short time, you are entitled to a minimum of three hours of overtime pay.

In addition, whoever is working the weekend is also on standby in case the lab is required to do confirmatory antibiotic testing of a truck load of milk (see section 5 - Antibiotic testing) or test a producer’s bulk tank sample. The staff person on standby carries the lab cell phone and must respond to any emergency calls. Staff receive $2.00/hr standby pay for 22 hours in total. Standby hours are

4:30 pm to 6:30 pm Friday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Saturday 8:00 am to 6:00 pm Sunday

All staff share responsibility for weekends including the laboratory supervisor. At the beginning of the year, a weekend schedule is created for the year. Usually, each employee is assigned one weekend a month. If you can’t work a particular weekend, someone is almost always able and willing to switch with you. In addition, you are never scheduled to work the weekend before or after your scheduled vacation because we want all employees to enjoy a thorough break! Holidays and long weekends are also shared equally among staff with every effort made to accommodate special requests while being fair to all staff.



8. Safety The Department has a Health and Safety Committee that deals with health and safety issues that arise in the workplace such as air quality or icy steps. Employees that work in the Department’s labs have to also be aware of the hazards present in their particular environments. Those hazards can be divided into three main categories: chemical, biological and physical.

All categories of hazard are present in the Dairy Lab to some degree. All employees are responsible for educating themselves about the hazards in the lab and taking appropriate precautions, whether it’s wearing protective equipment or using proper technique. As lab workers, we cannot altogether avoid hazards but we can control them. For example, if a particular procedure requires you to use concentrated sulphuric acid, then you use concentrated sulphuric acid, but you do so properly: you wear protective gear, use proper handling technique and work in the fume hood.

Laboratory Safety Manual This section of the Orientation Manual contains very basic lab safety information. The lab has a comprehensive laboratory safety manual that new employees must read before beginning practical training and which all staff must periodically review. The manual includes information on

General lab safety Chemical hazards Biological hazards Physical hazards Specific hazards in the Dairy lab Safety equipment and protective wear Safety dos and don’ts Emergency response procedure Lab evacuation procedure WHIMIS (Workplace Hazard Information Management System) MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets).

Safety equipment The lab has the following safety equipment and protective wear available. The lab supervisor will point these items out to you when she gives you a tour of the lab:

Lab coats Gloves (for various applications) Eye protection Face shield Acid-resistant apron



Fume hood Eyewash station Emergency shower Fire blanket Fire extinguishers Emergency gas shut-off

Safety training First Aid In addition to reading the lab safety manual, all you will be asked to complete a first aid course within the first year of your employment if you have not completed one in the last three years. Lab staff who have completed a full first aid course take refresher courses as required. These courses will be paid for by the employer.

Other courses and resources Other courses a new employee should take include WHMIS and the Transportation of Dangerous Goods (TDG). These courses are often available on-line, but an in-class course can usually be arranged if several people in the department or larger community are interested in attending. You should also familiarize yourself with the laboratory’s MSDS information so that you understand the hazards posed by the reagents you handle in the Dairy Lab. In addition, take some time to read relevant chapters of the lab’s copy of the Canadian Biosafety Standards and Guidelines (first edition), a comprehensive manual that includes information about working with bacterial organisms.

An employee wishing to pursue additional health and safety training or who has a particular interest in this area should inform the laboratory supervisor of his or her interest. One technologist is usually appointed the lab’s health and safety officer and is responsible for updating the lab’s health and safety information, performing inspections and educating all staff on health and safety matters. In addition, the Department’s Health and Safety Committee periodically requires new members.



Glossary A Accreditation – the process by which an organization or business is certified as competent or credible.

accreditation body – an organization that formally recognizes that a person or organization has the competence to undertake a specific task or function.

Antibiotic residues – the traces of antibiotics present in the milk of a cow that has been treated with antibiotics

B β –lactam – a broad class of antibiotics consisting of all antibiotic agents that contain a β-lactam ring in their molecular; includes penicillin

BTMG – Bulk tank milk grader

Bulk tank – a large tank on a dairy farm for cooling and holding milk until it is collected by the milk truck

Bulk tank milk grader () – An individual tested and licensed by the NB Farm Products Commission to grade raw milk. All milk truck drivers who collect milk are licensed BMTGs.

C Components - the primary compounds found in milk, including fat, protein and lactose.

Composition testing – the determination of the percentage of the fat, protein, lactose and other dairy solids in milk

Cryoscope – an instrument used to determine freezing temperature

D Dairy producer – dairy farmer

Dairy Farmers of New Brunswick – the provincial organization that represents producers and through which producers sell their product

Degrees Hortvet – a unit of measure used when referring to the freezing temperature of milk

DFNB – Dairy Farmers of New Brunswick

F Flow cell cytometry - a technology that is used to analyse the characteristics of particles, usually cells, as they flow in a fluid stream through a beam from a laser.



Fluid milk plant – a plant that processes raw milk to produce fluid milk products such as the 1% and 2% milk sold in supermarkets.

I Industrial milk plant – a plant that processes raw milk to produce non-fluid milk products such as skim milk powder that are sold to retailers and to other industries

Infraction – a value that does not meet the regulatory (legislated) standard for a particular measure. An infraction can refer to a laboratory test result for milk quality or a finding in a premise inspection.

Inhibitor – an agent that inhibits the growth of microorganisms; usually refers to antibiotics

inhibitor route – Refers to a collection of milk samples comprised of the samples from the front and back tanks of a milk truck that have tested positive for antibiotics at the processing plant and the producer raw milk samples that the driver collected from the farms on that route.

ISO 17025 – the international standard that establishes the requirements for competence for calibration and testing laboratories

L Laboratory pasteurization count – the total number of bacteria in a raw milk sample that has been pasteurized in the laboratory expressed in colony forming units per millilitre

LPC –Laboratory Pasteurization Count

M Mastitis – inflammation of the mammary gland

O OurNet – the Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries’ internal website for employees.

Quota – A fixed amount of an item. Milk production in Canada is controlled through a quota system. The amount of milk a farmer can produce and sell is determined by how much quota the farmer owns.

P Payment testing – composition testing; refers to the fact that the amount of money producers receive is based in part on the components in their milk.

Pasteurization – treating food to elevated temperatures for a specific length of time in order to kill specific microorganisms

Penalty – a fine that a producer has to pay to DFNB if the producer exceeds the maximum number of infractions allowed in a 12-month period for a particular standard



Positive load – A milk truck whose load of milk has tested positive for antibiotics

Processor – a plant that processes raw milk

Producer number – the license number assigned to a producer by the NB Farmer Products Commission

Proficiency testing – A testing program where a group of laboratories perform the same analyses on the same samples and the results are compared; a means of monitoring a laboratory’s performance

R Raw milk – milk that has not been pasteurized; generally refers to milk directly from a producer’s bulk tank

Route – the roads along which a milk truck travels when collecting milk and the farms from which the milk is collected

Routine micro – collection of tests performed monthly on a producer’s raw milk bulk tank sample to determine if the milk meets the regulated quality standards.

S Somatic cells – cells from the body other than sperm or egg cells

SPC – Standard Plate Count

Standard plate count – the total number of bacteria in a raw milk sample expressed in colony forming units per millilitre of milk

Supply management – Refers to a system of policies that control the price of a commodity by restricting production to meet the market demands

T TDG – Transportation of Dangerous Goods

W WHMIS – Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System

Withholding period – the minimum time that should elapse after the administration of a veterinary drug to a lactating animal before the animal’s milk should be consumed

.



Index

A accreditation, 15–16 Act. See Natural Products Act added water

presumed, 10 suspected, 10

Agri-Food Inspection. See inspectors, Agri-Food

Agri-Food Inspection Branch, 8 Agropur Dairy Cooperative, 4 allergic reactions, 11 Animal Health Services Branch, 2, 6 antibiotics, 11–13

testing of, weekends and holidays, 18 auditors, 15

B bacterial counts, 9, 13 barcode label, 5, 14 Baxter Foods, 4 Bentley FCM, 11, 14 Bentley FTS, 14 B-lactam, 12 bulk tank, 5, 9, 12 bulk tank milk graders, 5, 7

C Canadian Association of Laboratory

Accreditation, 15 collective agreement, 18 Commission. See New Brunswick Farm

Products Commission components, 14 composition testing, 13 cryoscope, 10 customer service, 17

D DAAF. See Department of Agriculture,

Fisheries and Aquaculture Dairy Farmers of New Brunswick, 4 Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia, 13 dairy industry, 4, 6 Dairytown Products Limited, 4

degrees Hortvet, 10 Department. See Department of Agriculture,

Fisheries and Aquaculture Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and

Fisheries, 2 Department of Health, 8 DFNB. See Dairy Farmers of New

Brunswick DFNS. See Dairy Farmers of Nova Scotia

F Farm Products Commission. See New

Brunswick Farm Products Commission Food Quality and Safety unit, 2 food safety, 11 fraud, 10 freezing temperature, 10, 13

I infraction, 9, 13

freezing temperature, 10 inhibitor, 11 standard plate count, 10

Inspection staff. See inspectors, Agri-Food ISO 17025, 15

L laboratory pasteurization count, 9 legislation, 6 licence, 4 LPC. See laboratory pasteurization count

M mastitis, 10, 11 microbiology, routine, 9, 11 Milk Quality Regulation, 6–7, 10, 11

and standards, 6, 9, 13 milk truck, 5, 12, See also transporter

driver, 5, 8, 9

N Natural Products Act, 6 NB Regulation 2010-19. See Milk Quality

Regulation



New Brunswick Farm Products Commission, 4, 6, 7

Northumberland Coop, 4

O organization, laboratory, 3 OurNet, 2 overtime, 18

P Payment program, 9, 13 penalty, 9, 11, 13 penicillin. See B-lactam positive load, 12 processors, 4, 7

and inhibitor routes, 12 producer number, 4, 5 producers, 4

and infractions and penalties, 13 and raw milk quality program, 9

Q quality management system, 15 Quality Manual, 15 quota, 4

R raw milk quality program, 9–11, 14

route, 5 inhibitor, 12, 13

S safety, lab, 19–20 Saputo Inc, 4 SCC. See Standards Council of Canada schedule

sampling, 9 weekends, 18

somatic cells, 11, 13, 14 SPC. See Standard Plate Count standard plate count, 9 Standards Council of Canada, 15

audits by, 15 standby, 12, 18 sulfa, 12 supply management, 4

T team work, 17 tetracycline, 12 transporters, 4, 7, See also milk truck

W weekends, 12, 18

schedule, 18


orientation manual final april 5

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