(1) Equipment and utensils used for preparing, processing, or otherwise handling any product in the establishment or facility must be suitable for the purpose intended and be of material and construction which will allow ready and thorough cleaning and which will ensure cleanliness in the preparation and handling of products. Insofar as practical, equipment and utensils must be made of metal or other impervious material. Trucks and receptacles used for handling inedible products must be of similar construction, be conspicuously and distinctly marked, and may not be used for handling any edible products.
(2) Batteries should be constructed entirely of metal and have metal dripping pans to permit proper and complete washing and cleaning. Batteries that are not made entirely of metal must be replaced with metal batteries whenever replacement becomes necessary.
(3) Metal refuse containers with covers must be provided and kept covered.
(4) Scalding equipment, tank or spray type, must be made of metal and have smooth surfaces, and be of such construction as to permit proper and complete washing and cleaning.
(a) The scalding tanks, when used, must be constructed to prevent contamination of potable water lines and to permit water to enter continuously and to flow through an overflow.
(b) The overflow outlets in scalding equipment must be of sufficient size to permit feathers and water to be carried off.
(c) The overflow, draw off valves, and sediment basin drain must discharge into a floor or valley drain or onto the floor in close proximity to a floor or valley drain.
(5) When necessary, safety guards must be installed around moving machine parts of mechanical pickers. Guards must be constructed in a manner to be easily removed or cleaned. Sheet metal or metal grills fastened down with sufficient bolts and wing nuts are preferable.
(6) When wax dipping is used, metal troughs must be provided to catch the wax removed from dipped poultry. Acceptable facilities and methods must be employed in reclaiming wax.
(7) Chilling vats or tanks used for chilling dressed poultry, or for chilling ready to cook poultry, must be made of metal or other hard surfaced impervious material. Ice shovels must be smooth surfaced and made of metal.
(8) Where grading bins are used for poultry the bins must be of sufficient number and capacity to adequately handle the grading without the use of makeshift bins. All dressed poultry must be kept off the floor. Grading bins may be made of metal or enameled wood and must be constructed and maintained in a manner to allow easy and thorough cleaning. All replacement bins must be of metal.
(9) Except as otherwise provided in this subchapter, all equipment and utensils used in the killing, roughing, pinning, chilling, and packing rooms must be of metal or other impervious material and be constructed to permit proper and complete cleanings.
(10) Conveyors used in the preparation of ready to cook poultry must be of metal, or other acceptable material, and constructed to permit thorough, ready cleaning and easy identification of viscera with its carcass. Conveyors must be designed to present each carcass, or all parts thereof, for adequate and efficient inspection.
(a) Overhead conveyors must be constructed and maintained to prevent grease, oil, or dirt from accumulating on the drop chain or shackle. The drop chain or shackle must be made of noncorrosive metals.
(b) Nonmetallic belt type conveyors used in moving edible products must be of waterproof composition.
(c) When individual trays or other acceptable equipment are not used during eviscerating operations each carcass must be suspended. A metal trough must be provided beneath the conveyor to extend from the point where the carcass is opened to a point where the viscera has been completely removed. Troughs shall be flushed continuously by a water spray.
(11) Inspection, eviscerating, and cutting tables must be made of metal, have coved corners, and be constructed and placed to permit thorough cleaning.
(12) In plants where no conveyors are used, each carcass must be eviscerated in an individual metal tray of seamless construction.
(13) Water spray washing equipment with sufficient water pressure to thoroughly and efficiently wash carcasses must be used for washing carcasses inside and out.
(14) Watertight metal receptacles must be used for entrails and other waste resulting from preparation of eviscerated poultry.
(15) Watertight trucks and receptacles for holding and handling diseased carcasses and diseased parts of carcasses must be constructed to permit ready and thorough cleaning. Such trucks and receptacles must be marked in a conspicuous manner with the word "condemned" in letters not less than 2 inches high. When required by the state veterinarian they must be equipped with facilities for locking and sealing.
(16) Freezing rooms should be adequately equipped to freeze ready to cook poultry solid in less than 60 hours. Freezing rooms must be equipped with floor racks or pallets and fans to insure air circulation.
(17) Cooling racks should be made of metal and be readily accessible for thorough washing and cleaning. All replacements of cooling racks must be made of metal.