Language Please, Troo Dat
Express Container Service, does food grade tank cleaning among other services. I was 500 miles away and planned my time to arrive well before their closing time. According to their Web Site, they’re supposed to be opened till 11:30 pm on Friday. I showed up at 7:47 pm. They spoke enough English to convey that they were closing already. I dropped the tank there so they could clean it the next day. They did so and I picked it up. However, I discovered two key areas of the tank unsecured. With the help of an English-speaking mechanic, I found a tank wash staff member. He didn’t understand what I was saying. However, I got as far as him giving me a few spare seals. I put them on thoroughly documenting the locations. This is an extremely important issue with food handling, shipping, equipment, and procedures. That is, all access to areas where food is contained, must be sealed. Think of all the on-the-shelf food and drug products. Every one of them are sealed. Anybody old enough to remember the Tylenol tampering around 1986? This was a major impetus to increased food security. I don’t know other verbal languages. However, after reading: The Dictionary of Body Language: A Field Guide to Human Behavior, I have a fairly good understanding of someone who would rather be somewhere else. I summarize that’s the basis of this service failure. If he was a little more into his work, this may not have happened. I hope this tank passes inspection before actual loading. This will have to be reported to the shipper as well. This is because I have no way of knowing, if any non-tank wash person had access to this tank before I arrived.
Lastly, Homeland Security now defines food security as National security. Das troo. So, why would anybody in their right mind have an un-secured area on a food grade tank? Idiota!!