Green Tea Manufacturing Facility, Thailand
SLP Environmental consultants were appointed by a Global Claims Loss Adjuster to complete flood damage assessment services and assess the extent of contamination at a green tea manufacturing facility that was inundated for two months as a result of Thailand’s Great Flood of 2011. The facility comprised a state of the art aseptic process line that had sat underwater for two months. The loss adjuster required an assessment to be undertaken with respect to the contamination status of the flood impacted manufacturing process equipment and building fabric at the facility to support their deliberations on a claim from the owner.
SLP’s scope of work included conducting a visual inspection of the aseptic production line for signs of potential contamination by fungi (mold and yeast), bacteria and other contaminants. Surface swab samples were collected from process machinery and submitted for environmental microbiology testing at an American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) accredited laboratory for a range of parameters including fungi (mold) and bacterial contaminants such as faecal coliforms and E-coli.
Indoor air quality monitoring was also undertaken using specialist high flow pumps and bioaerosol sampling equipment to determine mold spore counts and species in the aseptic production line area. Specialist algorithms were used to assess whether the residual mold spore counts represented a potential risk to the health of building occupants and to verify that the facility was safe for reoccupation.
A sample of remnant floodwater was also collected from a static vessel and submitted to an ISO accredited laboratory for a comprehensive range of tests including inorganic, organic and microbiological parameters.
Upon completion of the environmental microbiology testing works a concise report was issued to the client which summarised and explained the results of the assessment and presented recommendations for further works as indicated necessary.