How to Record a Pest Management Video for Your Food Safety Management System

Step 1: Set the scene and context

Pests are a major source of contamination in any food business. Rodents, insects, and birds can carry harmful bacteria, contaminate food through their droppings and body parts, and damage stock and premises. Beyond the contamination risk, pest activity can destroy a business's reputation—customers seeing evidence of pests will lose confidence immediately, and an EHO finding pest activity during an inspection can lead to closure, fines, and a poor food hygiene rating.

Your team needs to understand that pest management isn't just the contractor's job. Everyone plays a role—from maintaining good housekeeping to recognising the signs of pest activity and reporting issues immediately. Early detection and consistent prevention are the keys to effective pest control.

Where to film this video:

This video requires moving through multiple areas of your premises. Start in your kitchen or main food preparation area, then move to show storage areas, external areas including waste storage, delivery points, and any locations where pest control measures are in place—bait stations, fly units, proofed entry points. Have your pest control contractor's documentation available, including the bait station plan.

What to have ready:

• Your pest control contractor's contact details
• The bait station location plan/map
• Access to areas where UV fly units are installed
• Access to external areas and waste storage
• Examples of pest proofing measures (bristle strips, kick plates, drain covers)
• Your pest control log and inspection reports
• MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheets) for any treatments used

Start your video by explaining:

"This video covers pest management—one of the most important aspects of food safety that everyone on the team needs to understand. Pests are a major source of contamination. Rodents, insects, and birds can contaminate our food, damage our stock, and harm our reputation. If an environmental health officer finds evidence of pest activity, it can lead to closure, fines, and a damaged food hygiene rating. I'm going to explain what pest proofing measures we have in place, how to recognise signs of different pests, what our pest control contractor does, and most importantly—what you need to do if you ever see evidence of pests."

Step 2: Plan what to record versus what to write down

Pest management training combines physical walk-throughs of your premises with detailed recognition information. Split your content strategically.

Best for video (on camera):

• Walking through pest proofing measures around your premises
• Showing the locations of bait stations and explaining why they must not be moved
• Demonstrating UV fly units and explaining maintenance requirements
• Showing external areas and waste storage requirements
• Explaining what to do when you find evidence of pest activity
• Walking through your delivery area and checking procedures for pest ingress

Best for supporting written text:

• Complete list of signs for each pest type (rodents, flies, cockroaches, ants, beetles, birds)
• Bait station location plan
• UV tube replacement schedule
• Contractor contact details and call-out procedures
• Pest control contractor selection criteria
• Record-keeping requirements

Example written reference to include:

Signs of Pest Activity:

RODENTS (mice/rats):
→ Droppings (small and scattered for mice, larger and spindle-shaped for rats)
→ Urine (distinct smell, especially rat urine)
→ Footprints and tail swipes in dust
→ Smear marks around runs and holes
→ Gnawing marks on food, packaging, doors, building fabric

FLYING INSECTS:
→ Eggs, larvae (maggots), pupae (cocoons), live insects in food
→ Insect excreta (tiny smears on surfaces/food)
→ Moth frass
→ Excessive bluebottles/greenbottles = potential dead rodent nearby

COCKROACHES:
→ Distinct foul odour
→ Oothecae (egg cases)—sometimes carried by insect, sometimes hidden
→ Small dark smear droppings
→ Moulted skins (exoskeleton)
→ Adult or juvenile (nymphs) cockroaches visible

ANTS:
→ Single ants or trails leading to food (especially sugary foods)
→ Holes and small piles of soil near perimeter walls
→ Large flying queen ants on hot summer/autumn days

BEETLES (stored product insects):
→ Found in stored foodstuffs (grain, corn, flour, nuts)
→ Holes through corn, nuts, grains from burrowing larvae
→ Eggs, larvae, wing cases, droppings

BIRDS:
→ Nesting or roosting on buildings
→ Droppings (guano) below window ledges and eaves
→ Feathers, nesting materials, broken egg shells

Step 3: Core rules and requirements

Cover the essential knowledge your team needs about pest prevention, detection, and management.

Rule 1: Pest proofing—keeping pests out

Explain the physical barriers: "Our building must be physically proofed to prevent pest ingress. This means brickwork must be sound with no gaps. Pipework and utilities entering or exiting the building must be proofed—any gap around a pipe is an entry point for rodents. Drains and drain covers must be intact. Doors must be tight-fitting into their frames, with bristle strips and kick plates fitted to external doors. Any windows or doors opened for ventilation must have fitted fly screens. The eaves of the building must be proofed to prevent rodent and bird ingress, and bird control measures like spikes or netting prevent roosting and nesting.

Your job is to report any damage to these proofing measures immediately. A door that doesn't close properly, a bristle strip that's worn through, a drain cover that's cracked—these are all potential pest entry points."

Rule 2: External areas and waste management

Explain the attraction risk: "External waste storage areas can provide a ready-made food source for rodents, insects, and birds if not managed properly. All waste must be stored in commercial off-the-floor receptacles with tight-fitting lids that are closed when not in use. Never leave bin lids open, never let waste accumulate outside of bins, and never leave food waste accessible.

Yard areas must be kept clean and tidy. Areas of vegetation should be trimmed down to prevent rodents burrowing—tall grass and overgrown areas provide perfect harbourage. External areas must be checked regularly to ensure good housekeeping is being maintained."

Rule 3: Delivery checks

Explain the ingress risk: "Checking for pests or pest activity is part of your delivery checklist. This includes stored product insects—beetles and weevils that can infest flour, grain, nuts, and similar products. Check packaging for holes, check products for signs of infestation.

Housekeepers must also check deliveries of laundry—cockroaches are commonly found in industrial laundries and can be transported into your premises in laundry deliveries. Any sign of cockroaches in laundry must be reported immediately."

Rule 4: UV fly units

Explain how they work and must be maintained: "Electronic fly killers and sticky board units must be fitted in food areas to control flying insects. These work by attracting flying insects to ultraviolet light and either electrocuting them or trapping them on sticky boards.

These units must be positioned carefully—away from doors and windows to avoid attracting flies into the kitchen from outside, and positioned so that dead or exploding insects don't fall into food. Fly units must be cleaned regularly and the catch trays emptied to avoid overspill.

Critical point: the ultraviolet tubes must be changed annually before fly season starts in spring. Even though the tubes appear to be working to human eyes, their efficacy diminishes over time and they won't attract flying insects efficiently after about 12 months. Ideally, we use shatterproof tubes coated in a film that contains the glass if the tube breaks."

Rule 5: Rodenticides and bait stations

This is critical for team safety: "All rodenticides must be contained within tamper-proof bait stations. You'll see larger metal bait stations around the perimeter of the building for rats, and smaller plastic bait stations inside the building—in kitchen and storage areas—for mice.

You must be aware of the locations of these bait stations, but you must never interfere with, tamper with, or move them from their stated locations. The pest control contractor has positioned them based on rodent behaviour patterns. Moving a bait station makes it ineffective and can spread contamination.

If you find a dead rodent, do not touch it or try to remove it yourself. Call the pest control contractor immediately for safe removal. Dead rodents can carry disease and must be handled properly."

Rule 6: Insecticide use

Explain the contamination risk: "If insecticides are ever used in food areas—whether by staff or contractor—there's a significant risk of chemical contamination of surfaces, as well as physical contamination from dead insects.

If insecticide treatment is required: all foods must be removed from the treatment area; treatment should only take place outside of service times; and afterwards, all surfaces, utensils, and equipment must be thoroughly cleaned and disinfected before being used again. Records must be kept of any treatments."

Rule 7: Housekeeping as prevention

Explain the daily discipline: "Good housekeeping is your first line of defence against pests. All areas, including kitchen and storage areas, must be kept free from food and other debris—especially dark and undisturbed areas where pests prefer to hide. Under equipment, behind storage units, in corners—these are the areas pests target.

If you find evidence of pest activity or ingress, inform the pest control contractor immediately. Clean up droppings or other physical contaminants on a daily basis—by cleaning daily, you'll get a better picture of whether control treatments are working. If you clean up droppings on Monday and find more on Tuesday, you know there's ongoing activity."

Rule 8: Contractor management

Explain the relationship: "We use a professional pest control contractor who is a member of the British Pest Control Association (BPCA). They undertake regular inspections, maintain bait stations, service fly units, and provide recommendations for improving pest control.

When the contractor gives advice or recommendations—whether verbally or in writing—these must be acted on by management. Written recommendations that are not acted on will harm any due diligence defence if there's ever an incident. If the contractor says 'you need to proof that gap under the door,' that proofing must happen.

Managers should also carry out their own regular inspections of work areas, especially relatively undisturbed areas where pest activity might not be immediately obvious."

Step 4: Demonstrate or walk through

Walk your team through your premises, showing pest control measures in place and what to look for.

Walking through pest proofing:

Show the physical barriers: "Let me walk you through our pest proofing measures, starting at the main entrance. Notice the bristle strip at the bottom of this door—it seals the gap when the door is closed, preventing rodents from squeezing through. If you notice this bristle strip is damaged or worn, report it immediately.

Here's a kick plate on this external door—it prevents rodents gnawing through the door at floor level. Check it's still firmly attached and undamaged.

Over here where this pipe enters the building—see how the gap around it has been sealed? Any gap around pipes, cables, or utilities is a potential entry point. If you see gaps appearing or sealant deteriorating, report it.

These fly screens on the ventilation openings prevent flying insects entering when we need airflow. Make sure they're intact and report any damage.

At the eaves of the building, you can see bird proofing measures that prevent roosting and nesting. Birds nesting near food areas create contamination risks from droppings, feathers, and nest materials."

Showing bait stations:

Point out locations without touching: "Here's one of our bait stations. This is a larger metal station positioned around the perimeter of the building—it's designed for rats. Inside is rodenticide that's secured so that only rodents can access it. You must never open this, move it, or interfere with it in any way.

Here inside the kitchen is a smaller plastic bait station for mice. Same rules apply—don't touch it, don't move it, don't open it. The contractor has positioned these based on rodent behaviour patterns. If you see one that's been moved or damaged, report it immediately.

We have a bait station plan that shows every station's location. If you ever need to check where they are, that plan is kept [location]. This is important if you're cleaning areas near stations—you need to clean around them, not move them."

Demonstrating UV fly unit maintenance:

Show the units: "This is one of our electronic fly killers. It uses UV light to attract flying insects, then the sticky board traps them. Notice its positioning—away from the window so it doesn't attract flies from outside, and positioned so any debris doesn't fall into food preparation areas.

This catch tray needs to be checked and emptied regularly. An overfilled tray means flies aren't being caught properly and can spill. The UV tubes get replaced annually before spring—they look like they're working to us, but after a year they don't attract insects effectively anymore.

If you notice this unit isn't working—light is off, it's making strange noises, or the catch tray is overflowing—report it immediately."

Walking through external areas:

Show waste management: "Let's look at our external waste area. Notice all bins are commercial grade, off the floor on this stand, with tight-fitting lids. When you bring waste out here, the bin lid goes back on immediately—don't leave it open even for a minute. An open bin is an invitation to rats, birds, and flies.

The area around the bins is kept clean—no spillage, no loose waste. If you spill something, clean it up immediately. Accumulated waste outside of bins attracts pests.

See this vegetation near the perimeter? It's kept trimmed short. Long grass and overgrown areas provide harbourage for rodents—they can burrow and nest there. If you notice vegetation getting overgrown, report it for maintenance."

Explaining what to do when you find evidence:

Walk through the procedure: "If you find evidence of pest activity—droppings, gnaw marks, a pest sighting, anything—here's exactly what you do:

First, if it's a pest sighting, note exactly where and when. If it's physical evidence like droppings, don't just sweep it up. Inform your manager immediately, then call the pest control contractor. Clean up the physical evidence afterwards, but report it first.

If you find droppings, clean them up carefully using gloves, dispose of the waste properly, then clean and disinfect the area. By cleaning daily, we can track whether the problem is ongoing or has been resolved.

If you find a dead rodent, do not touch it. Call the contractor immediately for safe removal.

Report everything in writing—this forms part of our pest control records and helps identify patterns."

Seasonal considerations

Different pest pressures at different times:

"Pest pressure changes with the seasons. Let me explain what to expect and how to prepare."

"Spring and summer bring increased fly activity. This is when UV tubes should be changed—before fly season starts. It's also when proofing becomes critical: windows and doors opening more often means more opportunities for pest entry."

"Autumn sees rodents seeking shelter as temperatures drop. They'll look for warm buildings with food sources—exactly what a kitchen provides. Proofing checks are especially important in autumn."

"Winter brings fewer flying insects but rodent pressure remains high. Mice and rats that found their way in during autumn will stay if they have food and shelter."

"Our contractor adjusts their approach based on season. More fly treatments in summer, more rodent focus in winter. We adjust our vigilance accordingly."

Contractor visits and inspections

What happens during a contractor visit:

"Let me explain what our pest control contractor does during their regular visits."

"They check every bait station—replacing bait where needed, noting any activity. They inspect UV fly units—checking catches, noting any problems."

"They walk through the premises looking for signs of pest activity we might have missed. They check proofing measures and note any deterioration."

"After each visit, they provide a report. This report lists what they checked, what they found, and any recommendations. Management must review and act on recommendations."

"If the contractor identifies activity, they'll recommend treatment and potentially increase visit frequency until the problem is resolved."

Between contractor visits:

"Contractor visits don't replace daily vigilance. Between visits, you're the eyes on the ground."

"Check the areas the contractor checks—bait stations (are they still in place? undisturbed?), fly units (working? catches accumulating normally?), proofing measures (intact? undamaged?)."

"Report anything you notice. A problem spotted between visits can be addressed immediately rather than waiting for the next scheduled inspection."

Record keeping and documentation

What we document:

"Pest control requires thorough documentation. Let me show you what we keep records of."

"Contractor reports from every visit. These show what was checked, findings, treatments applied, and recommendations made."

"Our own sightings and evidence reports. Every time someone sees a pest or finds evidence, it gets recorded: date, time, location, what was found, who found it."

"Actions taken on contractor recommendations. If the contractor says 'proof that gap,' we document when and how it was done."

"Any treatments applied—date, product used, areas treated, by whom. This is required for HACCP compliance and demonstrates due diligence."

"This documentation serves multiple purposes: it helps identify patterns, proves we're managing the issue, and provides evidence if there's ever an inspection or incident."

Step 5: Common mistakes to avoid

Cover the pest management errors that create infestation risks.

Mistake 1: Moving or interfering with bait stations

"Bait stations are positioned based on rodent behaviour patterns. Moving them makes them ineffective. Tampering with them can spread rodenticide where it shouldn't be. If a bait station seems to be in an inconvenient location, talk to management—don't move it yourself. The contractor positioned it there for a reason."

Mistake 2: Leaving doors open or proofing damaged

"Every gap is a potential entry point. A delivery door propped open 'just for a minute' is long enough for rodents to enter. A damaged bristle strip creates a gap mice can squeeze through. A broken fly screen lets flying insects in. Report damage immediately and don't leave entry points open unnecessarily."

Mistake 3: Poor waste management

"Leaving bin lids open, allowing waste to accumulate outside bins, not cleaning up spillages—all of these attract pests and provide them with food sources. Pests need food, water, and shelter to survive. Remove their food source through proper waste management, and they're less likely to stay."

Mistake 4: Not cleaning undisturbed areas

"Pests prefer dark, undisturbed areas—under equipment, behind storage units, in corners that don't get regular attention. These are exactly the areas you need to clean. If you never clean behind the freezer, you'll never notice the mouse droppings accumulating there until you have a serious infestation."

Mistake 5: Not reporting signs of activity immediately

"'I saw some droppings but I cleaned them up'—and didn't tell anyone. Now we don't know there's a problem until it becomes a major infestation. Every sign of pest activity must be reported immediately so the contractor can respond. Early intervention prevents small problems becoming serious ones."

Mistake 6: Not checking deliveries for pests

"Stored product insects can arrive in deliveries of flour, grain, nuts, and similar products. Cockroaches can arrive in laundry deliveries. If you're not checking deliveries for pest activity, you might be introducing pests directly into your premises. Check packaging, check products, report anything suspicious."

Mistake 7: Ignoring contractor recommendations

"When the pest control contractor identifies a problem—a proofing issue, a housekeeping concern, a treatment recommendation—it must be acted on. Ignoring their recommendations doesn't make the problem go away. It makes it worse, and if there's ever an inspection or incident, having ignored written recommendations destroys your due diligence defence."

Mistake 8: Trying to remove dead rodents yourself

"If you find a dead rodent, don't touch it. Call the contractor for proper removal. Dead rodents can carry disease, and improper handling creates health risks for you and contamination risks for the food area. Let the professionals handle it."

Step 6: Key takeaways

Finish your video by reinforcing the critical rules.

"Let me recap the pest management rules you need to remember:

Why it matters: Pests are a major contamination source. They carry bacteria, contaminate food, damage stock, and can lead to closure, fines, and destroyed reputation. Prevention is everyone's responsibility.

Pest proofing: Our building must be physically proofed against pest entry. Report any damage to doors, bristle strips, fly screens, drain covers, or any gaps you notice. Every gap is a potential entry point.

Bait stations: Know where they are, never touch them, never move them. If you find a dead rodent, call the contractor—don't handle it yourself.

UV fly units: Keep them clean, report any problems. Tubes get changed annually before fly season—they look like they're working but lose effectiveness after a year.

External areas and waste: Keep bins closed with tight-fitting lids. Don't let waste accumulate. Keep the area clean. Trim vegetation short. Remove pests' food sources and harbourage.

Housekeeping: Clean all areas, especially dark and undisturbed corners. Pests hide where you don't look. Clean daily to track activity levels.

Deliveries: Check for pest activity and stored product insects. Check laundry deliveries for cockroaches. Report anything suspicious.

Signs to watch for: Droppings, gnaw marks, smear marks, unusual smells, live or dead insects, damaged packaging. Know what each pest type leaves behind so you can recognise problems early.

Report immediately: Don't wait, don't just clean up evidence, don't assume it's a one-off. Report every sign of pest activity to your manager and the contractor immediately. Early intervention prevents infestations.

Contractor recommendations: When the pest control contractor gives advice or recommendations, these must be acted on. Ignoring them creates bigger problems and destroys your defence if there's ever an incident.

Pest management requires constant vigilance from everyone. Keep doors closed, keep areas clean, keep reporting what you see. The contractor handles the treatment—you handle the prevention.

Pest management is a continuous process, not a one-time fix. Ongoing prevention, regular monitoring, immediate response to signs of activity—this combination keeps your premises pest-free and protects your food safety, your reputation, and your customers."