Section 5: Employee Interview Preparation

A significant portion of a Mérieux GMP audit consists of random interviews with employees on the production floor. Auditors ask questions to check food safety culture, competency, and compliance directly. Use this guide to train your staff on how to answer properly.

Production Operators Interview Questions

Likely questions asked to packaging operators on lines M1, M2/M5, M7, M3, M4, M6.

Q1: "What allergens are processed on your production line?"

Ideal Answer: "In our facility, we process Wheat, Peanuts, Soy, and Milk. On my specific line (Line M1), we process wheat chips. When we change over to a different product, we perform a complete line clearance, sanitization, and verification before running."

💡 Allergen Compliance Tip: Employees must know all major allergens handled inside the facility, not just their specific line's ingredients.

Q2: "What is your procedure if the metal detector rejects a package of Chichurrito Wheels?"

Ideal Answer: "If the metal detector rejects a bag, the bag is placed into the locked reject box. I stop the line, notify my supervisor immediately, and QA retrieves the bag to scan it from multiple angles. We log all events in the CCP MD Log."

💡 CCP Compliance Tip: Never say 'we just run it back through to see if it rejects again.' That is an automatic major audit failure.

Q3: "Where are the hands-free handwashing stations, and when must you wash your hands?"

Ideal Answer: "The handwash stations are located at the entrance to the production floor and in the breakroom/restroom exit. Sinks are foot-pedal operated. I wash my hands at start of shift, after breaks, using the restroom, or if I touch trash, bins, or sweep the floor."