6 replies to this topic

[ozgurdemirkiran]

Hello

I just joined this forum and i'd like to share my knowledge with you.

We've a Non-Conformity on our BRC/IOP ISSUE 4 inspection and i must take an action quickly.

We are making calibration of tape measure in production area. And sticking a paper which include calibration date. But paper is rub off (fall down) with time.
There was a non calibrated tape measure found in production and inspector saw this =D

I've an idea for this.

I can give a code by scrape to tape measure. For example There is 4 tape measure in lamination department. I can scrape L1,L2,L3,L4 on tape measures. And process to form these tape measures. When the ispector came. I can tell there is 4 tape meaures in lamination proses and their codes are L1,L2,L3,L4 and here is the calibration form. (only codes will be on the tape measures)

İs it in appropriate calibration system?


İ know that my english teribble =)

Thank you very much for your information.

Özgür

[shea quay]

All of our calibrated equipment is given a code (C1, C2 etc etc). This is then etched or engraved onto the machine / thermometer. A register is kept in the calibrations manual that explains which is which, and our external calibration company mention our reference number on their certificates of calibration so there is a clear paper trail. This is a necessity as stickers will always fall off or the ink will rub out within the one year calibration period. In fact, often it is better not to have calibration stickers on equipment at all, as they could prove to be a source of foreign body contamination.
And I work with Irish guys who have much, much worse English than you Ozgur!

[ozgurdemirkiran]

Thank you very much for your sincere informations.

I'll organize this scraping work tomorrow. I guess its current all of the food safety and quality managment systems. I hope this giving code really works and we dont have any problem on inspections.

best regards

özgür

[Foodworker]

Some people, particularly ex ISO9000 auditors, become obsessed with the calibration of tape measures.

In most cases there is no need to calibrate them.

It depends of course upon what you are using them for. The BRC/IoP takes a common sense approach (That's something I don't say too often!) and only requires that measuring devices which are used for monitoring critical manufacturing points or product safety or legality parameters need to be calibrated.

Tape measures are commonly only used in the setting up of machines and are for guidance only. Their accuracy is only down to the thickness of the graduation marks which is normally about 0.25mm. They tend to become damaged and unusable before they go out of calibration.

If they are being used within the BRC/IoP definitions I would suggest that they are the wrong instrument.

In the majority of instances, I would have challenged the validity of the non conformity.

[D-D]

Some people, particularly ex ISO9000 auditors, become obsessed with the calibration of tape measures.

They like check weights too:
"So we calibrate the balance every morning with these check weights"
"How do you know your check weights are correct?"
"We send them off to head office once a year to be checked against standards there"
"How do they know their weights are correct?"
"They are certified and get sent to an external company for verification"
"How do they know their weights are correct?"
"Oh.......go away!"
Real conversation (well, apart from the last line).

[ozgurdemirkiran]

They like check weights too:
"So we calibrate the balance every morning with these check weights"
"How do you know your check weights are correct?"
"We send them off to head office once a year to be checked against standards there"
"How do they know their weights are correct?"
"They are certified and get sent to an external company for verification"
"How do they know their weights are correct?"
"Oh.......go away!"
Real conversation (well, apart from the last line).

=) i agree this =)

[Fiona_01]

All of our calibrated equipment is given a code (C1, C2 etc etc). This is then etched or engraved onto the machine / thermometer. A register is kept in the calibrations manual that explains which is which, and our external calibration company mention our reference number on their certificates of calibration so there is a clear paper trail. This is a necessity as stickers will always fall off or the ink will rub out within the one year calibration period. In fact, often it is better not to have calibration stickers on equipment at all, as they could prove to be a source of foreign body contamination.
And I work with Irish guys who have much, much worse English than you Ozgur!

Hi Shea,

Please correct if if I'm wrong, you send your calibrating materials (ex: weights, filler gauge, etc.) to external party right? then you used it to calibrate your equipments internally (ex: weighing scale, thickness gauge, etc.)? Actually this is whta we do...but my concern here is that our customers look for the calibrating sticker of those equipments calibrated internally. Is it ok to just show them the records / forms? How can I defend it to them that I have calibrated it internally whereas there is no calibrating sticker attached to it?

Hope you could help...

Thank you very much
:)