§ 381.47 - Rooms and compartments.

(a) General. Rooms or compartments used for edible poultry products shall be separate and distinct from inedible products departments and from rooms where live poultry is held or slaughtered. Separate rooms shall be provided when required for conducting processing operations in a sanitary manner; and all rooms shall be of sufficient size to permit the installation of the necessary equipment for processing operations and the conduct of such operations in a sanitary manner.

(b) Refuse rooms. A separate refuse room, or other equally adequate facilities, shall be provided in official establishments where accumulations of refuse occur. Refuse rooms shall be entirely separate from other rooms in the establishment, have tight-fitting doors, be properly ventilated, and have adequate drainage and cleanup facilities, and the floors and walls to a height of 6 feet above the floor shall be impervious to moisture, and walls above that height, and ceilings shall be moisture resistant.

(c) Rooms for holding carcasses for further inspection. Rooms or other acceptable facilities in which carcasses or parts thereof are held for further inspection shall be in such numbers and such locations as the needs of the inspection in the establishment may require. These rooms or facilities shall be equipped with hasps for locking.

(d) Coolers and freezers. Coolers and freezers shall be of such size and capacity as are required for compliance with the provisions set forth in § 381.66. Freezing rooms, other than those for plate freezers or liquid freezing, shall have forced air circulation, and freezers and coolers shall be equipped with floor racks, pallets or other means which will assure that the poultry products will not be adulterated.

(e) Rooms for mechanical deboning of raw poultry. Rooms or compartments where mechanical equipment for deboning of raw poultry is operated shall be maintained at 50 °F. or less.

(f) Storage and supply rooms. The storage and supply rooms shall be kept in good repair, dry, orderly, and sanitary.

(g) Boiler room. The boiler room shall be a separate room where necessary to prevent dirt and objectionable odors entering from it into any room where dressed poultry or other poultry products are processed, otherwise handled, or stored.

(h) Toilet rooms. Toilet rooms, opening directly into rooms where poultry products are exposed shall have self-closing doors and shall be ventilated to the outside of the building.

(i) Lunch rooms. Lunches and snacks shall not be eaten in processing, packing, or supply rooms. If needed, separate rooms or areas shall be provided in establishment where employees eat their lunches.