Equipment — Overview¶
Every piece of equipment that touches your product or measures a critical parameter must be fit for purpose, properly maintained, and calibrated. This section covers how to qualify, clean, and control your machinery and instruments.
What this section covers¶
- Equipment qualification — Installation Qualification (IQ), Operational Qualification (OQ), Performance Qualification (PQ)
- Equipment register — master list of all GMP-relevant equipment
- Calibration programme — instruments that measure weight, temperature, pH, etc.
- Cleaning and sanitisation of equipment — validated cleaning procedures
- Preventive maintenance programme — scheduled servicing
- Equipment logbooks — recording use, cleaning, and maintenance
- Handling breakdowns and non-conforming equipment — tagging, quarantine
- Dedicated versus shared equipment — managing cross-contamination risk