How to mistake-proof records?
One of the most common types of mistakes/errors that I've seen in the industry is simply forgetting to fill out a blank on a form or record.
Nothing is worse than doing record review and finding that someone has left something important blank which will be required to release product. One example we have is forgetting to initial that an important ingredient was added in a batching/mixing record (secondary verification).
I've seen reference to mistake-proof records in the past. Obviously there is no perfect solution, but what ideas for formatting and process have others had success with to reduce mistakes and blanks on forms and records?
Hi usstinej,
It's a standard problem; more than common, and inevitable when records need to be completed. People do not see the record as equally important to completing the production.
I would suggest requiring a countersignature for essential parts of the record and also to mark it as complete. That way someone else reviews it and checks for completion while the product is still "live". It's not reasonable to rely on someone's memory after the event.
Supervisors, forepersons, lead people, whatever you call them should be routinely checking paperwork for completion, accuracy and legibility as part of their "job" in supervising the line.
Marshall
Supervisors, forepersons, lead people, whatever you call them should be routinely checking paperwork for completion, accuracy and legibility as part of their "job" in supervising the line.
Marshall
Exactly this. When I was factory based I always did a walk through every hour (you could push it out to 2) just to review paperwork and glance over the area. Another tactic is to take a highlighter with you and highlight anything missing then asking the person to fix it. They start to dread the yellow highlighter :cool:
Hello everyone,
IMO, continuous training is necessary to minimize lapses on the part of operatives or even the higher ranks. The IFSQN webinar about behavioral food safety is a good material to be cascaded to the staff and operatives. It really works on our site. Improvement to our people in very noticeable after we cascaded the webinar.
regards,
redfox