“We are proud to be among the cleanest harvesting plants in the country,” he says.

Good cleaning is essential

The hygiene team works while the rest of us sleep. Water and soap suds, and hygiene technicians dressed in solid, waterproof suits are a regular feature every single night at the harvesting plant. For seven to eight hours, they clean and disinfect all equipment and surfaces. This is how they prepare for the next day's food production. Equipment is disassembled and washed.

“Our main task is to ensure clean production premises and prevent bacterial spread. We plan and carry out the cleaning in the factory,” says Radu.

Good working enviroment

Radu started as a substitute in production at theharvesting plant Simanes in 2013. He moved to Alta from his hometown of Bucharest in Romania in 2011 to study Norwegian language and culture at the University of Alta. He was already trained as a communications technician, but the plan was to obtain a business education in Norway. During his studies, he worked as a substitute at the harvesting plant.

“Eventually I was offered permanent job as a hygiene technician, so I put my studies on hold. It was a good and exciting job in a good working environment. And with a good working environment, you also get good results.”

The job is displayed at the micro level

Achieving results trigger the former, professional rugby player. In food production, cleaning is crucial for food safety, and the quality systems in the company involve measurements and tests every single day. The hygiene team's performance is evident on a micro level through sampling of surfaces and equipment, bacterial tests and other daily analyzes.

“As such, we document that we do an important job, and we work for good results every day. The listeria bacterium is the biggest nightmare of all food producers. Therefore, we dismantle production equipment during the shift, to ensure that all nooks and crannies are clean. We have good control.”