The Importance of Hygiene Design Planning for Changing Rooms in Food Factories
The changing room is the last hygiene checkpoint for employees transitioning to the production area, and a crucial point for preventing contaminants from being carried out of the workshop. 

Without proper planning, dirt from employees' personal shoes and workshop residues (such as meat scraps, grease, and blood) carried on their work clothes can cross-contaminate within the 

changing room, directly threatening food safety.

Food factories face third-party audits such as BRC and FSSC 22000, and changing room hygiene is a key area that auditors focus on. Without standardized hygiene design and planning, 

shortcomings are easily exposed during audits.

A reasonable workflow plan and equipment configuration mandate that personnel follow standard operating procedures (SOPs) for hygiene practices, rather than relying on individual self-

discipline.


Core Considerations for Hygiene Design Planning of Changing Rooms in Food Factories
When designing hygiene plans for changing rooms in food factories, three main dimensions are considered: the number of employees in the workshop, the cleanliness level of the workshop, and 

the workshop type (dry/wet workshop). These three factors determine the size of the changing room, the number of functional cubicles, the level of facility configuration, and the shoe-changing 

and changing process.

1. Number of Employees in the Workshop – Determining the Size and Number of Facilities in Changing Rooms

The number of employees in the workshop is a fundamental parameter for changing room planning, directly affecting the area of functional cubicles, the number of equipment, and their layout.

1.1- Number of Lockers and Shoe CabinetsEach employee needs an independent locker and shoe cabinet. The number of lockers and shoe cabinets is typically configured with 8, 12, 24, 36, 48, 72, or 96 doors, and needs to be determined

based on the total number of employees on the same shift.

For example, in Case-01, which shows 8 men and 12 women, wardrobes with 8 and 12 doors are provided. In Case-02, which shows 24 men and 72 women, wardrobes with 24 and 72 doors are 

provided.

1.2-Matching Equipment Quantity to Traffic FlowThe quantity of equipment such as handwashing faucets, boot washing machines, hand dryers, and disinfection gates must match the number of people in the same shift. The more people, the 

more equipment is needed. For example, in Case-01, 20 people are equipped with one one-stop, single-station personnel hygiene cleaning station (PBW-41E). In Case-02, 96 people are equipped

with two one-stop, single-station personnel hygiene cleaning stations (PBW-25).

1.3-Separate Zones for Men and WomenAfter determining the number of people, changing room areas must be divided according to the male-to-female ratio. In Case-01 and 02, the male and female changing rooms are set up 

independently.

2. Workshop Cleanliness – Determining Changing Room Integrity and Cleanliness RequirementsReferring to GB 50687 "Technical Specification for Cleanroom Construction in Food Industry," food workshop cleanliness is classified into four levels: Class I (Class 100), Class II (Class 10,000), 

Class III (Class 100,000), and Class IV (Class 1,000,000). The higher the cleanliness level, the more stringent the design requirements for the changing room.

2.1-Changing Room Types by Cleanliness Level
Clean Changing Room (Applicable to Class III and above clean areas, i.e., Class 100,000 and above)
Ordinary Changing Room (Applicable to clean areas below Class III)

2.2- Correspondence between Clean Areas and Changing Rooms
Changing rooms should be set up according to different clean areas. Semi-clean work areas and clean work areas should each have a corresponding changing room. Specifically:

• Clean work areas (e.g., inner packaging room, aseptic filling room): require a complete changing process, typically including separate cubicles for front shoe changing room, outer changing room, inner changing room, rear shoe changing room, entry disinfection room, air shower room, and exit shoe washing room.
• Semi-clean work areas: cubicles can be reduced appropriately based on actual conditions, such as merging inner and outer changing rooms.
• General work areas: minimum requirements, can be simplified, such as directly changing personal shoes into work shoes, without distinguishing between shoe changing rooms, outer changing rooms, and inner changing rooms; the disinfection room also does not distinguish between entry and exit.

• A buffer room should be provided between the inner and outer changing rooms, and handwashing/disinfection facilities should be added.
• The inner changing room and subsequent cubicles should be equipped with air purification systems and maintain a positive pressure difference with other areas. For entry-level handwashing and disinfection, a unidirectional flow design is recommended. The employee's route from the changing room to the workshop should be non-reversible to avoid cross-contamination. Similarly, for exit-level shoe washing, a unidirectional flow design is advisable, with separate and non-intersecting entry and exit routes.
• For changing rooms with lower cleanliness requirements, the number of cubicles can be reduced, such as eliminating buffer rooms, combining inner and outer changing rooms, or combining entry-level handwashing and exit-level shoe washing.

wash and disinfect their hands before entering the inner changing room to put on their work clothes, preventing hand contamination of work clothes. Physical isolation reduces cross-contamination 

between personal clothing and work clothes.


3. Workshop Type (Dry/Wet) – Determines Work Shoe Type, Shoe Changing Process, and Handwashing/Disinfection Method
This is the most easily overlooked but crucial dimension. Dry and wet workshops have significantly different design requirements for changing rooms.

3.1-Different Types of Work Shoes
Dry Processing Workshop: Low-top work shoes are used, as shown in Case-01 (Dry Processing Solution).

Wet Processing Workshop: High-top rain boots are used, as shown in Case-02 (Wet Processing Solution).

3.2-Differences in Shoe Changing Procedures
There are three main shoe changing procedures in dry processing workshops:

• Solution 1: Personal shoes are directly exchanged for low-top work shoes (without transfer slippers). This is suitable for general work areas or semi-clean work areas, as shown in Case-01.
• Solution 2: Personal shoes are exchanged for slippers, then for low-top work shoes (with transfer slippers). This is suitable for areas with higher cleanliness requirements.
• Solution 3: Double-sided low shoe cabinets are used, with personal shoes removed on one side and work shoes put on on the other, providing physical separation.

The number of employees determines the workshop size; workshop cleanliness determines the integrity of cubicles and the level of air purification; and workshop type (dry/wet process) determines

the selection of work shoes, shoe-changing procedures, disinfection methods, and moisture control strategies. Only by combining these three factors can a reasonable, compliant, and practical 

changing room hygiene design solution be achieved.

❓ Should internal and external changing rooms be separated? Where should the buffer zone be placed? How can we ensure that the entry disinfection and exit shoe washing routes do not 

overlap?