Operational Hygiene Index
The OHI - From Gut Feeling to Measurable Score
The Operational Hygiene Index combines microbiology, process engineering, and plant-specific conditions into a single measurable score. Get clarity instead of relying on guesswork.
“The Operational Hygiene Index (OHI) has helped us to take a holistic view of our operational hygiene. Microbiology, process engineering, processes, it all came together. We now have a clear roadmap for how to proceed and know which technical and procedural measures are necessary.”
Marco De Stefani
Kerakoll
The OHI reflects the current state of your operational hygiene by examining three areas: microbiology, process engineering, and facility-specific conditions. An independent, external assessment makes this far more objective. Left to internal departments alone, responsibility tends to get pushed from one area to another, and the analysis itself suffers as a result.
Paint factories differ in detail, but they generally share the same process flow and many similar components. That is what makes the methodology work: it has already been tested and proven across many facilities. It enables the development of a tailored hygiene concept, a clear roadmap, and the process landscape needed to implement it. Once established, the OHI becomes a fixed reference point, one you can return to at any time to see what's improved.
Why the methodology works
Phase 1 -
Kick-off Phase
Define your starting point. In a structured session, we capture your site’s production processes, equipment, and current hygiene challenges. Choose the standard remote kick‑off, which sets the stage for the questionnaire and audit phases that follow, or the extended kick‑off with on‑site audit, where we gather data in real time and identify hygiene gaps directly at your facility. Either way, this foundation shapes everything that follows.
Phase 2 -
Questionnaire Phase
Dig deeper with tailored surveys covering the specific systems and processes relevant to your site, from pump and pigging line inventories to cleaning procedures. Because we already know where to look, thanks to your kick‑off, these questionnaires deliver the granular data needed to sharpen the audit findings and the roadmap that follows.
Phase 3 -
Audit Phase
Two days on‑site to investigate areas most facilities overlook. We examine your microbiology, process engineering, and facility-specific conditions, and deliver initial concrete recommendations, both direct measures and first ideas on necessary tools and process structure. Full detail on sampling strategy and process landscape follows in the next phase. If you started with a standard kick‑off, this phase follows naturally after the questionnaire.
Built for Your Situation
The OHI methodology is not one fixed path. It adapts to where you stand, from planning a new facility to resolving an active contamination issue.
New Facility - Greenfield Planning
Integrate operational hygiene from day one, before the first process line is installed.
Existing Facility - Brownfield Redesign
Plan a retrofit early, or get an independent read on a facility that's already running.
Urgent - Contamination Crisis
Get rapid, on‑site diagnosis and direct measures when contamination hits.
Compliance - Audit and Certification Readiness
Build the complete, audit‑ready picture needed to pass external audits with confidence.
Ready to bring structure to your operational hygiene?
Every facility is different. Book a call to discuss whether the standard OHI process or an Extended Kick-off is the right fit for yours.