How to set up CCTV in a food manufacturing facility
Plan CCTV for receiving, packaging and dispatch. Choose cameras for washdown areas, protect staff privacy and test whether footage can support an incident review.
Walk through a sample camera layout
Follow an example from the loading dock to the recorder. Adapt the layout to your floor plan, shift patterns and cleaning procedures.
Show animated CCTV walkthrough
- ReceivingFrame the unloading handover without pointing into neighbouring premises. Test in daylight and after dark.
- PackagingAgree on one review point with your quality team. Keep mounts and cabling clear of exposed food wherever practicable.
- DispatchFrame the pallet handover and test with a loaded forklift in the scene. Keep dispatch and lot records in your traceability system.
- RecorderUse the time window from your records to find and export a clip. Check that an authorised reviewer can open it.
1. Write down what each camera should show
Walk the site with operations, food safety and IT. Mark delivery and dispatch handovers, doors to restricted areas and any packaging point where a video timeline would help. For each view, specify what a reviewer needs to recognise. A dock overview and a close view of a specific handover have different lens and lighting requirements. Keep toilets and changing rooms outside the design. Review workplace surveillance obligations, staff communication, signage and audio settings before installation. Leave audio off unless there is a justified purpose and you have checked the applicable rules.
2. Match hardware to the cleaning method
Ask the hygiene team about water pressure, temperature, chemicals and cleaning frequency. Confirm the manufacturer rates the camera, seals and cable entries for those conditions. An outdoor IP rating alone does not establish suitability for hot, high-pressure or chemical washdown. Agree on a cleanable mount and sealed cable route with the site team and confirm that servicing can happen without risking product contamination.
3. Protect recordings and set retention
Use wired PoE where practical, keep camera traffic separate from production controls, and put the recorder and switch in a protected area. Allow for backup power if recording must continue through a short outage. Use named accounts, restrict exports and remote access, and avoid exposing cameras directly to the internet. Size storage from camera count, bitrate and the agreed retention period. Set that period around the time it usually takes to discover and investigate an incident, then verify it on the recorder.
4. Run a staged incident review
Pick a sample lot and use your batch and dispatch records to find its time window. Check recorder time across all views. Review the footage under normal lighting, at shift change and after cleaning. Export a short clip to an approved location, play it on another authorised device and record who exported it and why. Confirm who checks camera and disk faults and how they are escalated.
CCTV can help establish a timeline. Keep batch traceability, temperature logs, allergen and packaging checks, and your written recall plan in the food safety system. Follow the applicable food standards and workplace surveillance obligations for your site.
- FSANZ food safety standards
- Victorian workplace surveillance guidance
- Industry update on recall readiness
Discuss your factory layout in Lynbrook
Bring a floor plan, washdown requirements and a list of the footage you need to review. Ask Rhodium Security to demonstrate camera playback and clip export at 12 Stelvio Close, Lynbrook.