In Otterburn Park, on the South Shore, a food distribution warehouse located in the industrial zone, near Boucherville, suffered major contamination caused by Norway rats. These rodents had colonised the building’s high-bay storage areas and technical ducts, leaving faecal traces on pallets of goods, concrete surfaces and metal structures. The seriousness of the situation, documented during an internal audit, required an urgent industrial decontamination intervention before any normal resumption of distribution activities. The operations manager also wanted to obtain complete documentation to meet the requirements of their food safety certification. Our team mobilized four technicians to respond to the emergency within twenty-four hours of the report, coordinating the work with the warehouse’s logistics schedule, which required rigorous organization to meet operational constraints.
Inspection and containment of contaminated areas
The warehouse assessment was carried out outside of business hours so as not to disrupt ongoing logistics operations. Technicians identified four major contamination areas: the goods receiving area, two rows of overhead racking, the electricity meter room and a service corridor at the back of the building. Nesting galleries had been established in the insulation of the fire partitions, and rodent passages were visible in the joints of the interior cladding panels. Damage to several electrical cables, with a section of duct chewed over thirty centimetres, constituted an additional risk reported urgently to the building managers for intervention by a qualified electrician. A containment perimeter has been established around the most affected areas to prevent the spread of contaminated dust during clean-up operations. Our industrial decontamination service systematically integrates this containment phase to protect unaffected areas. Our achievements in industrial decontamination illustrate the complexity of this type of large-scale intervention.
Decontamination of surfaces and technical systems
The decontamination of a food warehouse imposes strict regulatory constraints governed by the HACCP standards in force in Quebec. Our teams used a cold nebulization system with a bactericidal and virucidal disinfectant approved for indirect contact environments with food. The concrete surfaces were mechanically scrubbed using industrial rotating brushes and then treated with stabilized hydrogen peroxide in two successive applications. The metal racks have been dismantled to allow for a thorough cleaning of each element, including the welding areas and connectors that retain organic residues in normal use. Contaminated insulation in the fire partitions was removed and replaced with moisture-resistant rock wool insulation. The ventilation ducts were inspected by endoscopic camera, revealing nests in two horizontal sections that were cleaned by specialized vacuum and then treated with internal nebulization. This systematic approach ensures that food certification auditors have robust evidence of complete decontamination.
Restoration, pest control and certification
Following the decontamination, a pest prevention plan adapted to food warehouses was formalized in partnership with the management of the establishment. This plan includes secure bait stations positioned according to a numbered and mapped plan, weekly inspections of bait consumption records by an accredited technician, and a monthly review with the quality manager. The identified entry points have all been sealed or equipped with appropriate mechanical protection. A decontamination certificate was issued with complete documentation of the products used, areas treated and methods applied, thus meeting the requirements of food certification audits. This official document is also concrete proof of the manager’s due diligence in the health of the workplace. Consult our achievements in industrial environments and our preventive interventions to see our complete approach on the South Shore. To reach us, visit Our Extermination Company in Quebec.