Regardless of the money poured into sanitation maintenance programs, some physical environments make it difficult to achieve the desired results. The effectiveness of sanitation maintenance programs can be influenced at a more fundamental level — plant layout and design (especially when it comes to its floors and walls) — that pays attention to sanitation details. Sanitary requirements need to receive due consideration from site selection through final operation, because engineered sanitary features throughout a plant can improve the quality and safety of the finished product. Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) engineered into plant design can reduce maintenance and the probability of product contamination.
Selecting the appropriate flooring system is best achieved by having an understanding of the properties of concrete, the operating environment and the conditions of installation and use. As concrete is a porous substrate, moisture in the form of water vapor can migrate from below the slab to the area above the slab, depending upon the temperature, air movement and humidity. Thus, it is essential that an impermeable protective coating be applied to the concrete not only to prevent the migration of chemicals in and through the concrete, but also any moisture from traveling out of the concrete.