Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Scoring
September 2010
Introduction
AIB International introduced the revised versions of its 11 Consolidated Standards in 2009. This established a modern platform to support
AIBs Inspection Program, and can be built upon to deliver continuous
improvements in process and content that the evolving world food industry
requires.
The scoring method described in this booklet, which becomes effective
January 1, 2011, is one such an improvement and was driven by independent research of customer requirements that showed auditor consistency in scoring and report writing was critical to confidence in third party
audit programs.
To this end, AIB developed a method to build greater consistency and
reduce subjectivity in its scoring system, no matter the location or the auditor. The revised scoring method assigns point values for the severity and
frequency of observations within each of the five inspection Categories.
The score earned on an inspection is the true measure of achievement; however, AIB has for many years also awarded a laudatory term
Superior or Excellentthat described the score.
After much deliberation and customer consultation, AIB will continue
to use laudatory terms, but will change the method by which they are
awarded.
Only those facilities whose score falls within the top 25% of all scores
will receive a Recognition of High AchievementSuperior award effective January 1, 2011. A Recognition of Accomplishment document will be
provided to all other facilities scoring between a passing score of 700 and
the applicable Superior score.
There will be two groups determined by type of facility inspected. A
statistical analysis will be conducted annually to establish the Superior
baseline score for the following year. For 2011, the two rates will be 915
and 935. The two groups are:
GROUP A: 915/1000
GROUP B: 935/1000
Beverage Facilities
Agricultural Crops
Dairy Facilities
Retail Facilities
Grain Handling
AIB International believes these changes will reinforce the rigor of its
Program and increase the confidence placed in it by thousands of customers and facilities worldwide.
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Scoring At-A-Glance
The Inspection
Risk Assessment
Description
Score Range
No Issues Noted
No identified risk.
180-195
Improvement Needed
160-175
Serious
140-155
Unsatisfactory
135
200
Evaluating Adequacy
Data from facilities that receive AIB inspections will be collected from October 1 through September 30 each year and a statistical analysis of the data
will determine the total score range for the top 25 percent of scores.
This range will be the criteria for Recognition of High Achievement-Superior
for the following calendar year.
Multiple observations in a
Category will reduce the
score in 5 point increments
for each additional observation. The score will not
drop below the bottom of
the Category score range.
Total Score
The Inspection
Like a chain, the strength of a Food Safety Program depends on its
weakest link.
The AIB Inspector will then assign a level of risk and a Category Score
to the five Categories shown above. Use Table 1 as a guide.
Description
Category Score
Range
No Issues Observed
No identified risk.
180-195
Improvement Needed
160-175
Serious
140-155
Unsatisfactory
200
135
195
-5
190
-5
185
-5
180
Multiple
occurrences
of separate
observations
lower the score
in increments
of 5 until the
lowest Category Score is
reached.
180
Lowest Category Score
Improvement
Needed Serious Unsatisfactory
1 195
175
155
135
2 190
170
150
130
3 185
165
145
125
4 180
160
140
120
5+ 180
160
140
115*
Maximum
Adequacy Score
Range
180-195
195
Improvement Needed
160-175
180-195
Serious
140-155
160-175
Unsatisfactory
135
140-155
Rule 3If the worst score is at the bottom of the score range, the
Adequacy score can be no higher than the bottom category score,
one level above. If observations require the score to be at the bottom
of the category score range, this indicates that the related program is
not effective.
Maximum
Adequacy
Score
180
180
Improvement Needed
160
180
Serious
140
160
Unsatisfactory
135
140
Worst Risk
Assessment
Rule 4A 200 may only be assigned for Adequacy if the other four
category scores are all assigned a 200; i.e., the only way it can be
said that the programs are working perfectly is if there are no observations to indicate otherwise.
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5
Total Score
The total score is the sum of the points assigned to each Category:
Operational Methods and Personnel Practices, Maintenance for Food
Safety, Cleaning Practices, and Integrated Pest Management, but is
not complete until aligned with the Adequacy of Prerequisite and Food
Safety Programs because written programs drive the results from the
other four categories.
160-175
140-155
135
#
Minor Issues
Noted
Observations
#
Improvement
Needed
Observations
#
Serious
Observations
#
Unsatisfactory
Observations
Category Score
Operational
Methods and
Personnel
Practices
180
Maintenance
for Food Safety
165
Category Score
Range
Category
Cleaning
Practices
160
Integrated Pest
Management
145
Adequacy of
Prerequisite
and Food
Safety
Programs
165
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The Serious observations that posed the most
potential for contamination were at the lowest severity of risk, so the Category score begins with the
first observation at 155. There were 2 additional
observations, so the score was lowered by 5 points
for each to 145.
Total Score
815
Recognition
Recognition of
Accomplishment
The Inspector noted 6 observations at the lowest risk of severity, but the
Category Score does not go lower than the lowest possible score for the
Minor Issues Noted Category (180).
The Adequacy score is determined using the most constraining rules that apply:
The observation with the most significant risk is in the Improvement Needed category so the score should
fall in the 160-175 range.
The most significant observation is not severe, so the initial score is 175.
There are three separate observations, so 5 points are deducted for each additional observation beyond
the first (175 to 170 to 165).
Rule 1: The highest score in the other 4 categories is 180, but that is outside the 160-175 range so Rule 1
does not apply.
Rule 2: The lowest score in the other 4 categories is 145, so the Adequacy score can be no higher than the
160-175 range.
Rule 3: The lowest category score (145) is not at the bottom of the range, so Rule 3 does not apply.
Rule 4: The other 4 categories are not assigned a 200, so rule 4 does not apply.
Glossary of Terms
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