Sanitation Worker
The Organization
At Wholesome Kids Catering, our core values are deeply ingrained in everything we do. With a purpose to Nourish Lives, we take pride in providing childcare centres and schools with healthy, delicious, and child-friendly meals and snacks. Our dedicated and experienced team is driven by a passion for delivering WOW to our valued customers and stakeholders.
Our menus are thoughtfully crafted to align with our Eat Grow Thrive philosophy, emphasizing excellent nutrition while incorporating flavours and foods that children love. Over the next three years, our focus is to be the dominant brand for childcare catering in the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. Our state-of-the-art, custom-designed facility supports continued growth and our commitment to being a strong, trusted partner.
The Opportunity
The Sanitation Worker is a hands-on role responsible for completing assigned cleaning and sanitation activities throughout the food production facility. This position plays an essential part in maintaining a clean, safe, compliant, and production-ready workplace while protecting food safety, product quality, and employee safety.
The Role
Reporting to the Sanitation Lead, the Sanitation Worker cleans and sanitizes food-contact and non-food-contact surfaces, equipment, utensils, production areas, welfare areas, and waste-handling areas in accordance with Standard Sanitation Operating Procedures (SSOPs), the Master Sanitation Schedule (MSS), Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), HACCP programs, WHMIS requirements, and company health and safety procedures.
The Sanitation Worker follows approved chemical handling and equipment-cleaning procedures, completes required records accurately, identifies abnormal or unsafe conditions, and immediately reports food safety, allergen, chemical, equipment, or workplace hazards to the Sanitation Lead or Sanitation Supervisor.
Success
The successful Sanitation Worker consistently completes assigned sanitation tasks safely, thoroughly, and on time. Equipment and work areas meet inspection standards, sanitation records are accurate, and any sanitation or food safety concerns are promptly reported. The employee is dependable, detail-oriented, responsive to coaching, and contributes positively to a disciplined and food safety-focused sanitation team.
Key Accountabilities
Sanitation Execution
- Complete assigned daily, weekly, and periodic sanitation tasks in accordance with SSOPs, the MSS, GMPs, and HACCP requirements.
- Clean, wash, rinse, sanitize, and reassemble food-contact and non-food-contact equipment as trained and authorized.
- Clean and sanitize kettles, pots, pans, utensils, cutting surfaces, food containers, racks, carts, processing equipment, floors, walls, drains, and other assigned areas.
- Perform specialized cleaning activities, including drains, exhaust hoods, overheads, coils, and Clean-Out-of-Place (COP) systems, when assigned and trained.
- Follow required cleaning sequences, chemical concentrations, water temperatures, dwell/contact times, and rinsing requirements.
- Inspect cleaned equipment and areas for visible residue, damage, foreign material, or unsanitary conditions before advising the Sanitation Lead that the task is complete.
- Promptly re-clean and correct sanitation deficiencies identified during inspections or verification activities.
- Maintain cleanliness of restrooms, cafeteria and welfare areas, exterior grounds, waste areas, and other assigned facility spaces.
- Safely collect, sort, and dispose of waste, recyclables, and food debris in accordance with company procedures.
- Protect tools, parts, ingredients, packaging, and equipment from contamination during sanitation activities.
- Use sanitation supplies, water, and chemicals responsibly to minimize waste while achieving required standards.
- Perform other related duties as assigned.
Food Safety, Allergen Control and Escalation
- Follow all GMP, hygiene, allergen-control, foreign-material, and cross-contamination prevention requirements.
- Immediately stop the affected task and notify the Sanitation Lead or Sanitation Supervisor when a condition may create a food safety, allergen, chemical, or employee safety risk.
- Immediately report failed cleaning results, visible contamination, pest activity, damaged equipment, leaking lines, chemical misuse, missing guards, or other abnormal conditions.
- Do not release equipment or areas for production. Await verification and direction from authorized personnel.
- Support environmental or equipment swabbing and corrective cleaning activities as directed.
Documentation and Compliance
- Complete assigned MSS logs, sanitation checklists, chemical concentration records, equipment-cleaning records, and corrective action records accurately and on time.
- Ensure records are complete, legible, truthful, and submitted to the Sanitation Lead for review.
- Follow WHMIS and Safety Data Sheet (SDS) requirements for chemical handling, dilution, labeling, use, and storage.
- Use only approved and correctly labeled chemicals; never mix chemicals unless specifically permitted by the manufacturer’s instructions and company procedure.
- Monitor assigned sanitation supplies and notify the Sanitation Lead before stock is depleted.
- Participate in required GMP, HACCP, allergen, chemical safety, equipment safety, and refresher training.
Teamwork and Workplace Conduct
- Follow daily work assignments and priorities provided by the Sanitation Lead or Sanitation Supervisor.
- Work cooperatively with sanitation, production, maintenance, warehouse, and FSQA employees to support safe and timely production start-up.
- Communicate task status, delays, supply needs, and concerns clearly and promptly.
- Support the training of new team members by demonstrating approved procedures when requested.
- Maintain dependable attendance, punctuality, respectful conduct, and a positive team-focused attitude.
- Participate in continuous improvement initiatives and make practical recommendations to improve safety, quality, efficiency, and cleaning effectiveness.
Workplace Safety
- Maintain a safe working environment and comply with all occupational health and safety requirements.
- Wear required personal protective equipment (PPE), including safety/steel-toed footwear, gloves, eye/face protection, aprons, hearing protection, and other PPE appropriate to the task.
- Follow Lockout/Tagout (LOTO), chemical safety, ladder, lifting, machine-guarding, and equipment safety procedures.
- Use hoses, foaming equipment, pressure-cleaning equipment, scrubbers, and other sanitation tools only when trained and authorized.
- Immediately report hazards, near misses, injuries, spills, chemical exposure, damaged PPE, or unsafe conditions.
- Maintain clear walkways and control wet-floor and slip hazards using required signs and barriers.
Physical and Work Environment Requirements
- Ability to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 60 lbs.
- Ability to stand and walk for extended periods and perform repetitive bending, reaching, twisting, kneeling, and scrubbing.
- Ability to work safely in wet, noisy, cold, hot, humid, and refrigerated production environments.
- Ability to wear required PPE for extended periods.
- Availability to work assigned days, evenings, nights, weekends, holidays, and overtime based on operational requirements.
- Willingness and ability to complete required training for powered walkies, reach equipment, or scissor lifts where the role requires it.
Success Measures (KPIs)
- At least 99% completion of assigned MSS tasks by the required deadline.
- At least 95% first-pass acceptance of assigned areas during sanitation or pre-operational inspection.
- Accurate and complete sanitation documentation with minimal errors.
- Zero unreported critical sanitation, food safety, chemical safety, or workplace safety concerns.
- Timely completion of corrective cleaning and rework when deficiencies are identified.
- Zero preventable lost-time incidents and consistent compliance with PPE and safety procedures.
- Reliable attendance, punctuality, teamwork, and demonstrated alignment with company values.
Required Education and Experience
- High school diploma or equivalent is preferred.
- Previous sanitation, industrial cleaning, food manufacturing, commercial kitchen, or related experience is an asset.
- Experience in a HACCP- or GMP-controlled food production environment is preferred.
- Basic understanding of food safety, sanitation, WHMIS, and chemical handling is an asset; training will be provided.
- Ability to read and follow written work instructions, chemical labels, SDS information, schedules, and safety procedures.
- Ability to complete basic written records and communicate effectively in English.
- Must be willing to complete all company-required food safety, health and safety, equipment, and sanitation training.
Technical Skills and Competencies
- Strong attention to detail and commitment to cleaning and sanitation excellence.
- Ability to follow SSOPs, the MSS, GMPs, HACCP controls, and safety instructions consistently.
- Basic understanding of chemical dilution, application, contact time, rinsing, and safe storage, or willingness to learn.
- Ability to recognize visible sanitation deficiencies and promptly report food safety or equipment risks.
- Reliable, organized, and able to complete physically demanding work within production deadlines.
- Able to work independently after training while remaining responsive to direction and coaching.
- Clear verbal communication and accurate basic recordkeeping skills.
- Positive, respectful, team-oriented approach and willingness to support changing operational priorities.
- Problem-solving mindset with a desire to make recommendations and help find practical solutions.
- Alignment with the Wholesome Kids Catering Charter and core values.
