Evaluation of the food safety procedures in catering placements in petroleum companies' oilfields

Abstract EN

The oil industry is considered a major source of wealth throughout the world, especially in the Middle East.

The petroleum industry's employees struggle with special conditions in remote oilfields such as killing gases and other work activities in addition to bad weather, therefore it was vital to provide healthy and safe food for them.

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the sanitation procedure existing in the kitchen of petroleum companies' oilfields such as safety of water, cleanliness of food contact surfaces, prevention of cross-contamination, Control of employee health conditions, etc.

To attain the aim of the study, an observation checklist was designed according to the requirements of the Food Safety Management System (FSMS) ISO 22000 to evaluate all existing food safety conditions and practices in catering premises of petroleum companies according to food safety requirements.

The score of the observation checklist is 48 % .

The highest-scored procedures include waste control, sanitation facilities, and the safety of water, while the lowest-scored procedures include labeling, storage, and documenting procedures.

It is concluded that about half of sanitation procedures were applied in place, and the food safety system is required in place to guarantee reaching the standard level of sanitation procedures.