Clean in Place (CIP) in the Food Industry: Flooring Requirements

Many facilities in the food and beverage industry are investing in clean in place (CIP) technology to help maintain a safe and efficient environment. If you are purchasing a CIP system or have already installed one in your facility, you should ensure the workspace is designed to meet the needs of the system.

Flooring is an important aspect of creating a hygienic food and beverage environment, especially in areas with CIP machines. By installing an appropriate flooring system, you can protect your floor, products and employees and maintain appropriate sanitation levels throughout the daily activities of a food or beverage facility.

Clean in Place (CIP) Systems in the Food Industry

CIP systems are advanced cleaning technologies designed to clean the interior surfaces of equipment, piping, vessels, filters and machines without mechanical disassembly. Instead of manually taking apart the equipment, hand cleaning each component, and reassembling everything back together, you can simplify and automate the cleaning process with a CIP system.

The CIP process involves several steps, including rinsing the equipment, preparing and circulating the appropriate cleaning solution, rinsing the equipment a second time, sanitising the equipment and checking to ensure it is properly cleaned.

These systems are popular in the food and beverage industry, where frequent cleaning is essential to meet hygiene and sanitation standards. When designed well and installed properly, CIP systems enhance food safety, improve sanitation, simplify the cleaning process, reduce downtime and avoid risks to product quality.

CIP Area Flooring Requirements for Food and Beverage Facilities

Food and beverage facilities require flooring that is durable, hygienic and safe—otherwise, unsanitary or unsafe conditions can lead to contamination and other issues. In areas where CIP systems are installed, the flooring must be designed to meet the unique conditions created by this technology.

Adequate Drainage

While floor drainage systems are an essential part of any food and beverage facility, they are especially important in areas where machines and pipes undergo the CIP process.

During and after the CIP system’s cleaning cycle, boiling water and chemicals are released into hubs or onto the floor, which is dangerous from a health and safety perspective as well as aggressive on floors. In order to ensure excess water and chemicals are promptly removed from the floor, the area must have a high-quality and efficient drainage system in place.

Chemical Resistance

CIP systems typically use strong chemicals during the cleaning process, including sodium hydroxide, nitric acid, potassium hydroxide, sodium hypochlorite and others. When these aggressive chemicals come into contact with unprotected floors, they can damage the concrete surface. The flooring in CIP areas requires a protective coating that can stand up to and resist damage from chemical exposure.

Antimicrobial Properties

Safety and hygiene are of the utmost importance in food and beverage facilities. If microbes, bacteria, pathogens, fungi or other microorganisms get into processing, manufacturing or packaging equipment, those microbes can then damage the integrity of the food and beverage products themselves. Flooring with antimicrobial properties inhibits the growth of microorganisms and helps ensure the CIP machine—and the piping, vessels or equipment it is cleaning—stays hygienic.

Slip Resistance

CIP areas are wet, slippery work environments. To improve employee safety and reduce the risk of slip and fall injuries, these areas should be installed with a floor coating that has enhanced traction to provide anti-slip benefits. As CIP machines release water during the cleaning process, the non-slip flooring solution should be designed to help prevent workers from falling in both wet and dry conditions.

Cleanability

Regular, thorough cleaning routines are a vital part of maintaining a safe and hygienic environment that protects against contamination—CIP systems simplify this process when it comes to cleaning machines, equipment, vessels and piping, which is why they are commonly used in food and beverage facilities. For the same reasons, flooring systems in CIP areas must be easy to clean and sanitise.

Clean in Place Food Industry Flooring Solutions

The best way to protect concrete floors and design efficient CIP system areas in food and beverage facilities is to apply food-safe resin floor coatings over the concrete substrate. High-quality resin floor coatings are extremely durable and are specifically designed for use in the food and beverage industry. Floor coatings made from polyurethane provide excellent chemical resistance to a range of acids and byproducts and can withstand exposure to the wide variety of chemicals present throughout the CIP process. Additionally, polyurethane floor systems are seamless, easy to clean and are built to last through the daily wear and tear of food and beverage processing. To further promote a safe and hygienic food and beverage production environment, polyurethane coatings can also be formulated with antimicrobial and non-slip properties.

CIP areas in food and beverage facilities require durable, chemical resistant, cleanable and sanitary flooring. Polyurethane floor coating solutions are a proven way to protect food and beverage factory floors, limit downtime, extend the lifespan of the concrete substrate and ensure the floor is prepared for the CIP environment.

Shop Food Grade Floor Coating Solutions at Sherwin-Williams

Sherwin-Williams is the leading provider of floor coatings for the food and beverage industry. Our line of high performance resin flooring offers superior resistance to moisture, chemicals, impacts and abrasions, making Sherwin-Williams products ideal for CIP areas in your facility. With our durable, easy-to-clean and long-lasting food and beverage flooring solutions, you can extend the lifespan of your manufacturing or processing plant floors and experience cost savings for years to come.

Contact a Sherwin-Williams representative today to learn more about our food-safe resin flooring solutions for the food and beverage industry.