An auditor walking your site will look up before they look down. They check the tops of beams, light fittings and racking early, because that is where a rushed clean shows first. Then they ask for the records that prove the clean happened, who did it and how often it happens.
This guide is for site, technical and QA managers preparing for BRCGS, SALSA, retailer or customer audits. It covers what gets checked on the day and how to plan a deep clean that holds up.
Auditors check overhead
Dust and debris at height can fall onto product, packaging and production lines. Auditors treat high-level areas as a foreign body and contamination risk, and they check them closely:
- Roof beams, purlins and steelwork
- Cable trays, ducting and pipework
- Light fittings and the tops of fly killers
- The tops of racking, door frames and cold store evaporators
These areas need powered access and trained operatives, so routine cleaning usually misses them. A pre-audit deep clean should include them by default. Clean from the top down, and cover lines and open product areas before work starts, so dust from height doesn’t land on surfaces you cleaned the day before.
Then they look behind and underneath
Expect auditors to crouch down, move round the back of equipment and use a torch. The usual findings are build-up under conveyors and behind fixed plant, product residue in wall-to-floor junctions, debris in drain channels and dust behind panels and plinths.
They check the same places for signs of pests: droppings, webs, and insects in light fittings and fly-killer trays. A deep clean removes the evidence and the places pests shelter. It also shows you where they are getting in, so you can fix the gap before the audit.
They check the damage a clean exposes
Cleaning reveals damage that dirt was hiding. Flaking paint over production areas, cracked floor tiles, split wall cladding and gaps around pipes and cables all get recorded as non-conformities, however clean the area is.
This is the best reason to book the deep clean weeks ahead. If the clean happens the night before, you find the cracked tile at the same time as the auditor.
They read the paperwork
A clean site with no records looks like a one-off. Auditors want evidence that cleaning is planned, carried out and checked.
- The cleaning schedule, showing deep-clean and high-level frequencies
- Signed records for the deep clean, with dates, areas covered and who did the work
- Verification results, such as ATP swab readings or visual inspection sign-offs
- COSHH assessments and safety data sheets for every chemical used on site
- Risk assessments and method statements (RAMS) from your contractor
- Training records for the operatives, including IPAF or PASMA cards for powered access work
- Before & after photos
If a contractor did the work, their paperwork becomes part of your evidence. Food safety standards expect sites to approve and monitor the contractors they use, so the auditor may ask how you chose yours and how you checked the work.
They test whether this is your normal standard
Auditors can tell when a site has been cleaned for the visit. Wet floors in production next to heavy build-up in the plant room is one sign. A spotless high-level area with no record of any previous clean is another. So is a cleaning schedule with every box ticked in the same pen on the same day.
The answer is a deep-clean frequency that suits the risk, written into the schedule, with records showing it has happened before. The pre-audit clean then reads as part of the routine. This matters more if your standard allows unannounced audits, because then the site has to pass on an ordinary Tuesday.
They look at cleaning equipment and chemicals
Auditors check that colour-coded equipment is used in the right zones, stored off the floor and in good condition. A worn brush shedding bristles is a foreign body risk in its own right. Chemicals should be in labelled containers, stored away from production and listed on your COSHH register. This includes your contractor’s kit. Anything they leave on site gets checked like your own.
They walk the outside of the building
External areas get checked for housekeeping and pest harbourage. Bin stores with spillage attract birds and insects. Weeds and long grass against walls give rodents cover. Blocked gutters, cluttered yards and dirty loading bays all suggest the inside gets the same treatment. Clean these as part of the same programme.
How to plan a pre-audit deep clean
- Book it three to four weeks before the audit. That leaves time to repair damage, re-clean anything that fails your own check and file the paperwork.
- Walk the site with your contractor and agree the scope area by area, including high-level and external areas.
- Plan around production. High-level work over open lines means stopping and covering them, so many sites book it for a weekend or a planned shutdown.
- Inspect the site yourself after the clean, using the checks above. Record what you find and what you fix.
- Ask for a completion pack: signed records, photos, RAMS, COSHH data, and operative certificates all in one place and ready to head to the auditor.
Book a pre-audit deep clean
Real Cleaning carries out pre-audit deep cleans for food, manufacturing and industrial sites, including high-level work by IPAF-trained operatives. We hold CHAS, Constructionline, SafeContractor and ISO 9001 accreditation. Call 0800 019 0039 or request a quote to arrange a site walk.
