During planned maintenance shutdowns, facilities can meet SANS 10049, HACCP and ISO 22000 expectations by integrating a standards-led cleaning programme into the work window. Ecowize coordinates with engineering teams to deliver high-level cleaning, equipment stripping, post-maintenance clean-downs and verification – with records that stand up to audit.
Why align cleaning with your shutdown
Planned downtime is the safest, most efficient moment to tackle the hygiene tasks that are difficult or disruptive during production. When cleaning is embedded in the shutdown plan, sites can remove soils hidden behind guards and panels, re-sanitise areas affected by maintenance, and return lines to service with documented proof of cleanliness.
Ecowize brings a trained, competency-assessed team that works alongside your schedulers and contractors so cleaning, maintenance and validations happen in a single, controlled programme.
What standards expect - and how we evidence it
Under SANS 10049, HACCP and ISO 22000, plants must demonstrate that deep cleaning, post-maintenance sanitation and release checks occur at defined frequencies with clear records. We operate to your Master Cleaning Schedule and capture the batch mixes, dilutions, contact times, pre-start inspections and sign-offs auditors will request.
Where verification is required, our Quality Team conducts microbiological swabs to confirm hygiene outcomes before restart, and we issue a detailed report for external auditors that closes the loop between engineering work and food-safety controls.
High-level cleaning and equipment stripping during the window
Shutdowns allow access to hard-to-reach zones and enclosed equipment. Ecowize performs high-level cleaning on ceilings, services and structures above open product lines, and strips fixed equipment – such as conveyor belts, transfer pipes and cooling units – so soil traps at guards, housings and interfaces are exposed and cleaned.
After maintenance or installations are complete, we carry out a final clean and sanitisation to remove debris, dust, grease and residues, followed by a documented release that confirms the area is safe, dry and ready for production.
Integrated tasks that protect people, product and infrastructure
Because multiple risks converge during shutdowns, our programme is designed to support both hygiene and asset care. Ecowize can undertake high-level painting, install pest-control hardware, and complete inspections and repair work on roofs and gutters within the same controlled window.
If fumigation is part of your plan, we return to clean down affected areas so dead insects and chemical residues are removed before restart. These tasks are coordinated under one specialist team to reduce hand-offs, compress timelines and keep evidence in a single record set.
Safety first: lifelines, anchor points and legal compliance
Specialised access is only safe in trained hands. Our teams install and inspect temporary or permanent lifelines and load-test anchor bolts, with work executed in line with EN795 requirements.
We integrate these controls with site permits, lockout and tagout, and the Occupational Health and Safety Act provisions for working at height and confined spaces.
Competence, supervision and documented pre-use checks are recorded as part of the shutdown pack so safety evidence is as robust as hygiene proof.
Release, documentation and a clean start-up
When engineering work concludes, we remain on site to complete a final clean, sanitise and inspection. Records include the areas serviced, chemicals and dilutions used, contact times, verification results and named sign-offs.
The comprehensive report we issue – including microbiological swab results where required – provides the assurance your external auditors and customers expect.
The outcome is a restart that is not only fast, but defensible: lines are clean, risks are controlled and documentation is complete.
The operational payoff
Downtime is expensive; using it well returns time to production. By combining maintenance and cleaning in a single, planned window, facilities reduce repeated set-ups, avoid fragmented sign-offs and prevent rework after inspections.
Ecowize brings one specialist team with many solutions, coordinated to your schedule, so the plant starts up cleaner, safer and audit-ready.
Planning a shutdown? Align cleaning, safety and verification in one programme. Book a site review with Ecowize to build a shutdown plan that meets SANS 10049, HACCP and ISO 22000 – and restarts your plant cleanly, safely and on time.