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Marketing and management

No. 2 (48) 2017, pp. 311–321

DOI: 10.18276/miz.2017.48-29
ISSN: 1509-0507 | http://wnus.edu.pl/pl/miz/

Agata Szkiel
Gdynia Maritime University
Faculty of Entrepreneurship and Commodity Science
email: a.szkiel@wpit.am.gdynia.pl

Using the ISO 10015 standard in improving

personnel competences in food safety management
systems

Code JEL: M53

Keywords: management system, food safety, training, ISO 10015, personnel, competences Abstract. The factors
that determine the effectiveness of a food safety management system are the competence, awareness and

commitment of personnel. The personnel performing tasks in the system should be subject to systematic evaluation
and improvement, primarily through participation in internal training. The aim of the article is to analyze the
guidelines contained in the ISO 10015 standard regarding training and to assess the possibility of using them as a
tool for improving the competences of personnel performing activities in food safety management systems. The
article discusses the requirements of the standards for food safety management systems in the field of human
resource management and the guidelines of the ISO 10015 standard concerning training in terms of their use in
the process of planning, organizing, conducting and assessing internal training in food safety management systems.

Introduction
The key role in ensuring the safety of food products in the food chain is
played by humans, who may turn out to be a weak link.
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of food safety management systems implemented in companies belonging to

the chain (Trafiaÿek, Pawÿowska, 2013). In food companies, food safety is the
responsibility of all employees at every level of the organizational structure and
from different departments, working in various positions, using various skills and
levels of knowledge. Effective food safety management requires the involvement
of production, engineering, distribution, procurement of raw materials, taking into
account customer feedback and taking actions related to personnel management,
including training (British Retail Consortium, 2015). Therefore, each company
implementing a food safety management system should develop a food safety
policy, defining the company's obligations in terms of ethics and responsibility of
personnel, as well as the development of its awareness, commitment and
competence (IFS Food, 2012).

The competences of employees performing tasks in the food safety

management system can be defined by such attributes as education, training,
skills and experience (PN-EN ISO 22000, 2006), but also as the application of
knowledge, skills and behavior in practice
(PN-ISO 10015, 2004). Raising competences, and at the same time the
awareness and commitment of staff, may be the result of studying literature,
exchanging experiences, and may also be a consequence of the work performed
(Sitko-Lutek, 2005). However, one of the most frequently used methods of
ensuring the competence of the personnel is training of employees at all levels of the enterprise
(Pocztowski, 2008). Training is necessary to meet the company's obligations to
provide food that is safe and of the required quality in a dynamically and
constantly developing market where the requirements of all parties interested
in food safety (e.g. customers, official food control authorities) are constantly
growing (PN-ISO 10015 , 2004). The effectiveness of the implemented food
safety management system depends on the awareness, commitment and
competence of the personnel, therefore enterprises in the food chain must take
measures to improve the management of the training process.

The tools that can be used in the management of the training process are
provided by the PN-ISO 10015: 2004 standard (further in the article: ISO
10015). This standard defines training as a process of ensuring and developing
knowledge, skills and behavior in order to meet the requirements (PN-ISO
10015, 2004). Training can also be defined as a planned process of changing
attitudes, knowledge or skills through learning and achieving the appropriate
results in one or more tasks in order to develop the skills of employees to meet
the present and future personnel needs of the company (Arm strong, 2002).
Compliance with the guidelines contained in the ISO 10015 standard
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supports the enterprise in identifying and analyzing training needs, and then in
designing, planning and delivering training, and
evaluation of their results, as well as monitoring and improvement of the training
process, so that the company's goals in terms of personnel competences are
achieved (PN-ISO 10015, 2004).
The guidelines of the ISO 10015 standard are intended for organizations
that apply a systemic approach to the quality management of their products and
services, based on the requirements of the ISO 9000 series standards. However,
training is also necessary to ensure the effectiveness of food safety management
systems (Dzwolak, 2005). The aim of the article is to analyze the guidelines
contained in the ISO 10015 standard regarding training and to assess the
possibility of using them as a tool for improving the competences of personnel
performing activities in food safety management systems.

Training Standards Requirements for Food Safety Management Systems

One of the areas of standard requirements for food safety management systems,
such as ISO 22000, IFS, BRC, are the requirements for the appropriate
management of resources necessary to maintain and improve the systems. In
this area, each standard defines human resource requirements as one of the key
resources determining effectiveness
the functioning of the systems. Food safety is ensured primarily by the company's
employees who implement the food safety policy in practice, create and develop
the management system
food safety, as well as implement and improve processes affecting food safety
(Trybuch, 2012).
The basic factor determining the effectiveness of any enterprise management
system is the fact that the personnel has a well-defined resource of knowledge
(Ejdys, 2007). A competent employee, thanks to the appropriate attitude and
personal characteristics, wants and knows how to positively use his knowledge
and skills to carry out the tasks resulting from the implemented system
(Wojtyÿska, 2008). Hence, the company's personnel performing work affecting
food safety, its quality and compliance with legal requirements should have
appropriate competences necessary to perform the work, including appropriate
education, training, skills and experience (PN-EN ISO 22000, 2006; IFS Food,
2012; British Retail Consortium, 2015). Employees should be primarily aware of
how their activities contribute to ensuring the safety of food offered to consumers,
therefore the needs for the required competencies should be determined taking
into account the results of hazard analyzes and risk assessment for food safety
related to the work performed (IFS Food, 2012) .
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Making employees aware of the sources of food safety hazards and ways of
eliminating and preventing them allows for a very significant reduction of the risk of
producing a dangerous product (Dzwolak, 2005).
When implementing a food safety management system, management should
define the competencies required for each executor
tasks affecting food safety. They can be specified in job descriptions, competence
cards and in individual documents of the food safety management system, e.g. in
procedures or instructions. Thereafter, documented training programs with regular
reviews should be established in the company

competences possessed by employees, providing training to enable employees to

achieve the required competences and assessing the effectiveness of training
(British Retail Consortium, 2015).
When establishing the training program, the enterprise should define the scope of
the required training, its frequency, the languages in which it will be conducted, the
required qualifications of the trainers and the method of assessing the effectiveness of the training.
(IFS, 2012; British Retail Consortium, 2015). The scope of the planned trainings
should be reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis, taking into account the
identified problems related to food safety (such as food poisoning, recall of the
product from the market, complaints), legal requirements
and changes affecting the food safety management system, such as modification
of a product or production technology (IFS
Food, 2012).
Employees performing tasks in the food safety management system should be
trained in the application of the rules of the system, procedures in force in the
enterprise and in monitoring
effectiveness of activities carried out in the system. In particular, the training should
concern (PN-EN ISO 22000, 2006; IFS Food, 2012; British Retail Con sortium,
2015):
ÿ operational programs necessary to ensure a working environment enabling
the production of safe and compliant food,

ÿ cleaning and disinfection procedures as well as protection against pests,

ÿ managing the process of storing raw materials, semi-finished products and
finished products,
ÿ work related to critical control points and their monitoring, in particular
including product and process evaluation based on subjective data (such as
visual evaluation),
ÿ conducting laboratory tests of products, ÿ taking
corrective and corrective actions, if the monitoring results show that the system
is not in compliance with the requirements,
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ÿ management of incidents and potential crisis situations affecting food safety,

quality and legality,
ÿ accepting external inspections and controls of authorized bodies,
ÿ protection of access to the premises of the enterprise and the applicable
security procedures aimed at securing food against theft or against
intentional contamination or damage.

In order to ensure the effectiveness of the food safety management system,

the competencies should be shared primarily by members of the food safety team,
including its chairman, internal auditors, complaints assessors and laboratory
product researchers. The trainings conducted must make all employees aware of
the food safety policy in force in the company, the importance of meeting the
requirements of food law and food safety customer requirements, as well as their
obligations resulting from the implemented food safety management system. In
particular, employees should be aware of (PN EN ISO 22000, 2006; IFS Food,
2012; British Retail Consortium, 2015):

ÿ symptoms of infection and diseases that make it impossible to work with

food, and procedures to be followed in the event of an infectious disease
affecting food safety,
ÿ rules for wearing and changing protective clothing in specific zones, as
required for the product,
ÿ staff hygiene requirements,
ÿ product specification.
Training should be conducted on-the-job, prior to commencement of work,
and should cover all company personnel, but also seasonal employees and
employees from external companies. All activities related to the development of
personnel competencies undertaken by the enterprise should be documented and
assessed in terms of their effectiveness. Records should be prepared and
maintained for each training, both conducted by company employees and external
companies, including at least information such as the names of participants with
confirmation.
attendance, dates and duration of the training, the thematic scope of the training
and the names of the trainers (IFS Food, 2012; British Retail Consortium, 2015).

Standard PN-ISO 10015:2004

The company's objectives in the area of the competence of personnel performing

activities in the food safety management system may be influenced by many
internal and external factors, including market changes, technology, innovations,
food law regulations, customer requirements and others.
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interested parties (PN-ISO 10015, 2004). All these changes may require the
company to analyze its training needs, necessary to flexibly adjust the implemented
system to the changed conditions of the company's operation. The effectiveness of
training is therefore one of the factors determining the effectiveness of the food safety
management system, its updating and continuous improvement.

The enterprise should properly manage the training process so that it enables
the implementation of the adopted objectives in the area of personnel competences.
Tools that can be used in the management of the training process are provided by
the ISO 10015 standard containing guidelines that companies can
use when designing, implementing and improving the training process.
Following these guidelines enables the company to properly identify and analyze
training needs, design and plan training courses taking into account the identified
needs, and conduct training
in a manner ensuring the achievement of the objectives related to the competences
of the personnel, evaluation of the training results as well as monitoring and
continuous improvement of the training process. Thanks to this, the training is not
action-oriented and does not take place by chance, but constitutes a system of
continuous training, creating a characteristic, four-stage cycle of activities (Pocztowski,
2008). The standard recommends that the training process should be based on a
four-stage PDCA improvement cycle (plan, do, check, act). Such a systemic approach
to training ensures their effectiveness, thus eliminating the gap between the existing
and required competences (ÿebrowska, 2004). It also enables the enterprise to
achieve goals in the field of personnel competences (PN-ISO 10015, 2004).
The effectiveness of the training process depends on the involvement of people
responsible for the implementation of its individual stages. However, the involvement
of employees whose competences are developed as part of the training process may
also contribute to the fact that they feel the owner of the process to a greater extent
(PN-ISO 10015, 2004). In order for the employee training policy to be carried out
effectively, the enterprise should appoint a person responsible for managing the
training process, planning and supervising it (Dzwo lak, ÿuraw, 2003). Most often this
is the chairman of the food safety team.

The ISO 10015 standard is intended for those enterprises that apply a systemic
approach to the quality management of their products and services, based on the
requirements of ISO 9000 series standards. Training is also a tool for the development
of personnel competences in food safety management systems. Hence, the guidelines
of the standard can also be used by companies belonging to the food chain.
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Identifying training needs

A company implementing a food safety management system should start the

implementation process with training its employees. Training should not, however, be
a one-off activity, but should be systematically implemented also at the stage of system
maintenance and improvement (Koÿoÿyn-Kra jewska, Sikora, 2010). By following the
guidance of ISO 10015, the food business operator should identify training needs

on the basis of the results of the analysis of your current and expected needs,
resulting e.g. from the adopted food safety policy, staff development policy, the
requirements of standards and legal provisions relating to food safety, as well as
information on the expected and actual competences of personnel, collected during
periodic verification of the food safety management system (PN-ISO 10015, 2004).
The company should define and document the competencies necessary to perform
each task that has an impact on food safety, systematically assess

the competencies of the staff and make plans to address any competency deficiencies.
At this stage, the company should identify the differences between the existing and
required competencies, identify employees whose existing competencies do not
correspond to the required ones, and define the scope of the necessary training.

Employee competency requirements should be periodically and regularly

reviewed. A company can identify its future needs, consistent with food safety
objectives, taking into account internal and external sources, such as (PN-ISO 10015,
2004):
ÿ changes in the organizational structure,
ÿ changes in infrastructure and changes in production technology,
ÿ results of periodic employee competency assessments,
ÿ results of periodic evaluations of the food safety management system, e.g.
internal and external audits, management reviews,
ÿ data on seasonal workers,
ÿ employee requests,
ÿ results of the review of records from monitoring of critical control points and
corrective actions, including those resulting from customer complaints,
ÿ changes in legal regulations and standards concerning food safety
natures.

As a result of personnel competency reviews, the enterprise should

identify and document competency gaps, indicate solutions to eliminate these gaps,
and then specify and document training needs (PN-ISO 10015, 2004).
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Design and planning of training

The purpose of design and planning is to specify the training plan. The
specification of a training plan is the best way to clearly define the company's
needs, training requirements and goals that are to be achieved as a result
(Wojtyÿska, 2008). At this stage, the enterprise should define actions that
must be taken in relation to competency shortages, as well as establish
criteria for assessing training results and monitoring the training process
(PN-ISO 10015, 2004). Input data for the preparation of training specifications
may be food law requirements, requirements resulting from the company's
food safety policy, including those relating to the awareness and commitment
of staff, financial conditions, necessary resources and time requirements.
When preparing the training specification, the enterprise should also take
into account the availability and motivation of employees assigned to the
training. For each training, the enterprise should select appropriate training
methods, such as internal and external courses, apprenticeships, workplace
training or self-education (PN-ISO 10015, 2004).

The prepared training specification should clearly define the needs of

the company regarding the competences to be acquired by the trainees
and the training objectives. In addition, the specification should specify the
trainees, training methods, thematic scope, duration,
the required resources (including financial ones) and the criteria and
methods for evaluating the training results. During the design and training
phase, the company should also select a trainer. Both the person inside
and outside the company should be critically assessed before making the
choice (PN-ISO 10015, 2004).

Implementation and evaluation of training results

According to the guidelines of ISO 10015, the training should be carried out
by the trainer in accordance with the requirements specified in the training
plan specification. The success of the training is influenced by the
effectiveness of cooperation between the training company and the trained
employees, therefore the standard recommends that the company supports
both the trainer and the trainees at every stage of the process.
The enterprise should first of all provide the resources necessary to
implement the training, as well as monitor its quality. Pre-training support
may include providing the trainer and trainee with the required information
on the nature of the training as well as the competency gaps to be
addressed by the training. During training, support may include
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e.g. providing the trainee and the trainer with tools and equipment. After the
completion of the training, support may include collecting feedback from both the
trainer and the trainee, as well as providing feedback to the management and
personnel involved in the training process (PN-ISO 10015, 2004).

The mere implementation of training is not enough to achieve the desired

training effect (Dzwolak, 2005). Therefore, the company should conduct an
evaluation of the training results to confirm that both the training objectives and the
company objectives in the area of personnel competence have been achieved.
This assessment should provide information on the level of competence achieved
by the trainee, which is the basis for identifying the need for possible corrective
actions. The enterprise should conduct an assessment (PN-ISO 10015, 2004):

(a) short-term, including the assessment of the training methods trained as

well as the knowledge and skills acquired through the training;
b) long-term, including an evaluation of the work performed by the person
trained.
Assessment reports should provide input to the mo process
monitoring and improvement of training.

Monitoring and improvement of the training process

Monitoring the training process is to confirm that this process, which is part of the
company's food safety management system, is effective in meeting the company's
development requirements and for improving the competences of the personnel
performing activities in the system. Without such an assessment, it is not possible
to state whether the adopted objectives in this regard have been achieved, and
then whether the employees have expanded their qualification potential, whether
the transfer of new knowledge has taken place and whether the expected changes
occurred as a result of this transfer, and whether these changes had a positive
impact on effectiveness of the food safety management system (Rybak, 2000).
The company should monitor each of the four steps in the process
in order to identify possible non-conformities that require taking corrective and
preventive actions. Following the guidelines of ISO 10015, the process should be
monitored by competent personnel, e.g. members of the food safety team,
independent of the functions in which they are directly involved. The principles of
monitoring and the methods used (e.g. internal audits, management reviews,
observations of personnel during the performance of tasks, review of records
documenting the functioning of the food safety management system) should be
conducted in accordance with documented procedures and the results of monitoring
should be recorded (PN ISO 10015 , 2004).
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When reviewing the training process, e.g. as part of a company management

food safety management system review, any needs and opportunities for improving
the effectiveness of each of the four stages should be identified. When the results
of the review show that the training requirements are met, the company should
update the records on the new qualifications acquired by the employees. When
the monitoring results show that the requirements are not met, the company
should take appropriate improvement actions. They may include, for example,
updating the applied training procedures or providing new training (PN-ISO 10015,
2004).

Summary

Each food industry company should be aware of the impact of training on the
continuous improvement of the implemented food safety management system.
Therefore, training and taking actions to increase their effectiveness should be
treated by the company as an investment which, by increasing the awareness of
employees, will result in material and time savings (PN-ISO 10015, 2004; Dzwolak,
2005). A properly planned, implemented and improved training process for all
employees, starting from the top management of the company and ending with the
personnel performing operational activities in the food safety management system,
contributes to the acquisition of knowledge and the development of professional
qualifications of employees. Enterprises belonging to the food chain can use the
guidelines of the ISO 10015 standard both during initial training, conducted at the
stage of implementing the food safety management system, and periodic training
related to the maintenance and improvement of the system.

The application of the guidelines of the PN-ISO 10015: 2004 standard

guarantees that enterprises belonging to the food chain approach training in a
systemic manner, which contributes to the achievement of the company's goals.
By applying the guiding standards, the company designs, implements, maintains
and improves the strategy and training system for employees whose activities
have an impact on the safety and quality of food placed on the market.

Bibliography
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The Use of ISO 10015 in Improving Competences of the Personnel in Food Safety
Management Systems

Keywords: management system, food safety, training, ISO 10015, personnel, competences

Summary. The factors determining the effectiveness of food safety management systems are competences,
awareness and involvement of the personnel. Personnel with system related tasks needs to be regularly assessed
and they should have the constant opportunity to grow professionally, firstly through regular participation in in-
house training courses.
The paper aims at analyzing guidelines for training contained in the ISO 10015 and at assessing the possibilities
of using these guidelines as a tool for improvement of compe tences of staff with tasks in food safety management
systems. The paper discusses re quirements of standards for food safety management systems in terms of human
resources management as well as ISO 10015 guidelines on training in terms of their use in the plan ning,
organization, provision and assessment of in-house training in food safety manage ment systems.

Translated by Agata Szkiel

Citation

Szkiel, A. (2017). Using the ISO 10015 standard in improving the competence of personnel in food safety
management systems. Marketing and Management, 2 (48), 311–321.
DOI: 10.18276/miz.2017.48-29.

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