As you’re probably aware, maintaining high standards in the pharmaceutical industry is key in preventing cross-contamination. This is a major concern within the pharma manufacturing industry, particularly for products produced at multi-product or shared facilities, such as contract manufacturing organizations (CMOs).
Since it can easily compromise the safety of patients, staff, environment, and business, pharma manufacturers must adhere to various measures to prevent this from happening.
So, what can you do to prevent this?
Common Types of Cross-Contamination
First, you need to understand the most common types of contamination within the pharmaceutical industry.
- Physical Contaminants: Materials that enter the manufacturing process such as chips, particles, fiber materials that contaminate the entire batch.
- Pyrogenic Substances: Micro-organisms that can cause fever.
- Chemical Contaminants: Products that contaminate sterile pharmaceutical products such as molecules, moisture, vapor, and gasses.
- Biological Components: Viruses, bacteria, or fungi that can cause diseases and should NOT be found in pharmaceutical products.
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The Main Sources of Cross-Contamination
To effectively prevent cross-contamination, it’s important to identify the sources of contaminants. Typically, there are four main sources of cross-contamination:
- Personnel: Anyone involved, from people to performing to manufacturing pharmaceutical products can be a significant source of contamination. This can be due to:
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- Lack of personal protective equipment and appropriate clothing
- Lack of cleanliness and hygiene standards
- Direct contact with materials and products
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- Manufacturing Facility: The facility can be a primary source of contamination because of use of improper ventilation, lighting, and air filtration systems as well as inadequate sanitation processes.
- Materials: Materials in the pharmaceutical processes can also lead to contamination due to improper storage, poor labeling, and degradation of materials from environment conditions.
- Manufacturing Processes: Cross contamination is highly likely to occur due to:
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- Lack of zoning
- Insufficient cleaning and lack of maintenance status labeling
- No dedicated production facility for each product.
How Can Your Facility Prevent Cross Contamination?
Now you’re probably asking yourself, how can we prevent contamination? Defining the sources is important, while placing proper procedures to eliminate contamination is the next step.
- Proper hygienic and protective workwear must be worn at all times.
- Regular cleaning and sanitation protocols
- Facility design that follows industry standards and regulations
Go Northern to Help Prevent Cross-Contamination in Your Facility
Certified in ISO 22000:2015, Northern Uniform is raising the bar to help with all of your pharmaceutical uniform needs.
By following the specific regulations and guidelines required by the pharmaceutical industry, we can guarantee consistent and hygienic uniforms from short and long lab coats, to scrubs.
You can trust that all garments are properly cleaned to the industry standards to remove any trace of dirt, chemicals, and contaminants. We can help you create a uniform rental program that fits your operations needs and industry specifications.
However, uniforms aren’t the only thing you need to worry about. When it comes to keeping your facilities clean, Northern is here to help with our facility service program. From mats and towels, to soaps and sanitary hand gel, we can fit all of your needs!
Contact us to start your custom pharmaceutical garment program and facility service program today.
