Templates and records · BRCGS · Clause 4.9.3

BRCGS glass and brittle plastic register

An inventory of everything that could break and fall into the product, inspected regularly, and a clear procedure for when it breaks.

In one sentence

The BRCGS glass and brittle plastic register is the inventory of glass, brittle plastic, ceramic and similar items present in product areas, with their location, number, type and condition, inspected at a risk-based frequency, plus the breakage record, as clause 4.9.3 requires.

Content reviewed on 17 October 2026

Where the standard requires it: BRCGS · Clause 4.9.3 Clause references follow the numbering of BRCGS Food Safety Issue 9. If your audit is already against a later issue, check the correspondence on brcgs.com.
Type of information: Mandatory record Record to be retained (4.9.3)
Who fills it in: Quality or floor managers Inspection can be delegated to trained staff; the breakage record is completed by whoever finds it
When: Frequency based on the risk of the area Periodic inspection and immediate recording of each breakage
How long it is kept: Shelf life plus 12 months, at least BRCGS requires a retention period to be set taking into account legislation, the customer and the product's shelf life, and as a minimum records must be kept for the shelf life plus twelve months (3.3).

What the standard requires

What BRCGS demands and what it leaves to your judgement

BRCGS requires glass, brittle plastic and ceramics to be excluded or protected in areas where product is open or could be contaminated. Whatever remains must be on a list with its location, number, type and condition, and checked at a risk-based frequency.

Breakages are handled with a procedure defining how the area is isolated and cleaned, how nearby product and equipment are inspected, who authorises production to restart and how it is recorded. If product is packed in glass, the Standard adds its own requirements for breakages on the line.

Foreign body risk as a whole, with detectors and other controls, is addressed in the IFS Food risk assessment and in metal detector verification.

Read it in context: Site standards, in the BRCGS Academy

Structure

Fields the template should include

Item, type of material and number of units
Area and exact location
Risk of the area and inspection frequency
Inspection date, condition and who inspects
Damaged items and action
Breakage record: date, area, product affected and decision
Authorisation to restart production

Example

Example: monthly inspection at a fictitious patisserie plant

Company, people and figures are fictitious: the example only shows what a properly completed record looks like.

Field	Content
Area	Decorating room · open product · high risk
Items	12 protected light diffusers · 2 scale displays · 1 polycarbonate wall clock
Inspection	5 October 2026 · shift leader
Condition	Scale 3 display cracked
Action	Scale removed from the line, display replaced the same day · product on the table inspected
Breakage	No fragments came loose · recorded as damage, not as a breakage
Next	2 November 2026

At the audit

Mistakes auditors commonly flag

An inventory that does not match what is in the room.
Newly installed items not added to the register.
Inspections that just say "OK" without listing the items checked.
Breakages cleaned up without recording or inspecting nearby product.
No clear rule for glasses, watches or phones belonging to staff and visitors.

In Kimobox

How this record is kept in Kimobox

1The inventory is kept by area and item, and each inspection appears on the shift it belongs to.
2The person responsible records the inspection from a mobile, with photos of anything damaged.
3A breakage opens an incident with its decision on the product and the authorisation to restart.
4Overdue inspections trigger a reminder before the auditor spots them.

Frequently asked questions

What people ask us before getting started

Which materials go in the register?

Glass, hard or brittle plastic, ceramics and similar materials that could fragment: light fittings, displays, screens, clocks, utensils. Items that are protected or shatterproof can be excluded if justified.

How often is it inspected?

BRCGS leaves the frequency to the risk assessment of each area. Usually it is more frequent where product is open than in stores for packed product.

What happens to product after a breakage?

The area is isolated, product that may have been affected is held, the area is cleaned and inspected, and someone with authority decides whether it is released or destroyed. Everything goes in the breakage record.

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Sources

Where each figure comes from

References to the official text in force. If a standard is revised, this page is updated and the review date says so.

BRCGS Global Standard for Food Safety, Issue 9 BRCGS · Published August 2022