Equipment

Equipment

    Materials
    All equipments and utensils used in the handling of medicinal plants should be made of materials that do not transmit toxic substances, odour or taste, are non-absorbent, are resistant to corrosion and are capable of withstanding repeated cleaning and disinfection. Surfaces should be smooth and free from pits and crevices. The use of wood and other materials that cannot be adequately cleaned and disinfected should be avoided, except when their use would clearly not be a source of contamination. The use of different metals in such a way that contact corrosion may occur should be avoided.

    Design, construction and installation
    All equipments and utensils should be designed and constructed so as to prevent hygienic hazards and permit easy and thorough cleaning and disinfection. Where practicable, they should be accessible for visual inspection. Stationary equipment should be installed in such a manner as to permit easy access and thorough cleaning. Containers for unusable materials or waste should be leak-proof, constructed of metal or other suitable impervious materials, should be easy to clean or be disposable, and should close securely. All refrigerated spaces should be equipped with temperature measurement or recording devices.
    Identification
    Equipment used for waste or unusable medicinal plant materials should be identified and not be used for usable medicinal plant materials.

    Quality assurance
    Compliance with quality assurance measures should be verified through regular auditing visits to cultivation or collection sites and processing facilities by expert representatives of producers and buyers and through inspection by national and/or local regulatory authorities.

    Documentation
    Standard operating procedures should be adopted and documented. All processes and procedures involved in the production of medicinal plant materials and the dates on which they are carried out should be documented. An example of a cultivation record is provided in Annexure 5. The types of information that should be collected include:
    • Seeds and other propagation materials
    • Propagation
    • Cultivation or collection site
    • Crop rotation at the site
    • Cultivation
    • Application of fertilizers, growth regulators, pesticides and herbicides
    • Unusual circumstances that may influence the quality (including chemical composition) of the medicinal plant materials (e.g. extreme weather conditions, exposure to hazardous substances and other contaminants, or pest outbreaks)
    • Harvest or collection
    • Processing
    • Transportation
    • Storage
    • Application of fumigation agents.
    Multiple sets of good herbarium specimens should be prepared and preserved for confirmation of plant identity and reference use. A photographic record (including film, video, or digital images) of the cultivation or collection site and the medicinal plants under cultivation or collection should be made, whenever possible. All agreements between the grower or collector, processor and purchaser, and intellectual property and benefit-sharing agreements should be recorded. Batch numbers should unambiguously and clearly identify all batches from each cultivation or collection area.

    Assignment of batch numbers should take place at an early stage of production. Collected and cultivated medicinal plant materials should carry different batch numbers. Where applicable, the results of audits should be documented in an audit report which contains copies of all documents, analysis reports, and local, national and/or regional regulations, and which are stored according to their requirements.

    Personnel (growers, collectors, producers, handlers, processors).
    General
    All personnel should receive adequate botanical and agricultural or collection training. All personnel required to apply agrochemicals should be trained in their use. Producers and collectors should receive adequate training and possess sufficient knowledge about appropriate harvesting and techniques employed for plant maintenance and protection for the medicinal plants to be cultivated. To avoid deterioration of harvested medicinal plant materials during the post-harvest handling and primary processing stages, proper training of all personnel involved is required.

    Personnel should be instructed on all relevant issues regarding environmental protection, the conservation of plant species and proper soil management to conserve fields for cultivation and for soil erosion control. The prevention of environmental degradation is an essential requirement to ensure the sustainable long-term use of medicinal plants resources. National and/or regional regulations governing labour should be respected in the employment of staff for all phases of medicinal plant materials production.
    Health, hygiene and sanitation
    All production of medicinal plant materials by agriculture and collection should conform to national and/or regional regulations on safety, materials handling, sanitation and hygiene. All those involved in the handling and processing of cultivated or collected medicinal plants should in all processing procedures comply with national and/or regional regulations on hygiene. All personnel should be protected from contact with toxic or potentially allergenic herbs by means of adequate protective clothing, including gloves.

    Health status
    All personnel known, or suspected, to be suffering from or to be a carrier of a disease or illness likely to be transmitted through medicinal plant material, should not be allowed to enter any harvest, production or processing area if there is a likelihood of their contaminating medicinal plant materials. Any persons suffering from diseases or symptoms of illness should immediately report to the management. A medical examination of personnel should be carried out if clinically or epidemiologically indicated.

    Illness and injuries
    All personnel with open wounds, inflammations or skin diseases should be suspended from work or required to wear protective clothing and gloves until full recovery. Persons suffering from known airborne or food-borne communicable diseases, including dysentery and diarrhoea, should be suspended from work in all areas of production and processing, in accordance with local and/or national regulations. Health conditions that should be reported to the management for consideration regarding medical examination and/or possible exclusion from handling of medicinal plant materials include: jaundice, diarrhoea, vomiting, fever, sore throat with fever, visibly infected lesions (boils, cuts, etc.) and discharges from the ear, nose or eye. Any personnel who have cuts or wounds and are permitted to continue working should cover their injuries with suitable waterproof dressings.

    Personal cleanliness
    Personnel who handle medicinal plant materials should maintain a high degree of personal cleanliness, and, where appropriate, wear suitable protective clothing and gloves, including head covering and footwear. Personnel should always wash their hands at the start of handling activities, after using the toilet, and after handling medicinal plant materials or any contaminated material.

    Personal behaviour
    Smoking and eating should not be permitted in medicinal plant processing areas. Personnel who handle medicinal plant materials should refrain from behaviors that could result in contamination of the materials, for example, spitting, sneezing or coughing over unprotected materials. Personal effects such as jewellers, watches or other items should not be worn or brought into areas where medicinal plant materials are handled if they pose a threat to the safety or quality of the materials.

    Visitors
    Visitors to processing and handling areas should wear appropriate protective clothing and adhere to all of the personal hygiene provisions mentioned above.

Last modified: Wednesday, 4 April 2012, 9:52 AM