Across all facility types, there are a few factors that have the potential to make or break your cannabis infection prevention protocol. Let’s take a deeper dive into these considerations, and explain how to set up your facility for success in controlling disease-causing microorganisms.
FACILITY DESIGN
As a general rule, it’s best to maintain a controlled environment in growing and processing areas whenever possible. This means ensuring that the humidity levels are regulated, so as not to create conditions where bacteria and other pathogens can thrive. Adequate air filtration is also essential to prevent the formation of micro-climates, which can act as breeding grounds for pathogens like powdery mildew.
When designing your facility for optimal infection prevention, it’s also important to minimize the potential for cross-contamination from dirty areas into production rooms. This can be accomplished in part by having a dedicated room where people can enter to remove dirty footwear and clothing, acting as a barrier between the outside environment and the production areas. In addition, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE) such as shoe covers, coveralls and hair covers are important in ensuring that contamination by people entering the production areas is kept to a minimum.
Another factor to consider is plant movement: limiting the movement of plants, wherever possible, is a good practice to lower the risk of disease transmission between plants. Ideally, your facility will be designed to ensure that unnecessary plant movement is eliminated.
MATERIALS USED
With any area that will be cleaned or disinfected, the type of material used will have a huge impact on your ability to successfully kill pathogens. In general, look for surfaces that are non-porous, smooth and easy to clean. For flooring, seamless materials are ideal: a film may be placed over the floor in greenhouses for easier cleaning. The materials used should be non-absorbent and should be free of cracks and other crevices – these breaks in the material will make it more difficult for your cleaner/disinfectant to penetrate the surface, and can provide an environment for pathogens to thrive. A few examples of surface types that tend to work well are stainless steel, most plastics, polyvinyl chloride, rubbers and epoxy.
It’s also a good idea to consider the compatibility of your materials with whatever disinfectant product you will be using. While the materials mentioned above tend to be fairly chemical-resistant, it’s important to check with your disinfectant manufacturer to ensure that your disinfectant won’t cause unnecessary wear and tear on these materials over time.
DISINFECTANT SELECTION
When it comes to pest control in your facility, cleaning isn’t enough – disinfection is the process of actually killing viruses, bacteria and fungi that can cause disease in your plants. Disinfectants in Canada are registered under Health Canada, and carry a Drug Identification Number (DIN). It’s important to make sure that your disinfectant carries efficacy against the pathogens you’re concerned about (more on this in later posts), and has good activity in the presence of organic material. Another key aspect to think about is safety – disinfectant products should be non-toxic and non-irritating, putting the safety of your team at the forefront.
INCORPORATING THESE CONCEPTS INTO THE PLANNING OF YOUR FACILITY WILL ASSIST YOU IN ACHIEVING A HIGHER STANDARD OF INFECTION PREVENTION. CHECK OUT THIS ARTICLE ABOUT PREVENTING POWDERY MILDEW TO GAIN A REFINED UNDERSTANDING OF THE ISSUE, HOW TO CONTROL IT, AND WHAT YOU SHOULD USE TO CONTROL IT.