Hello all!
Currently, our belt inspection program encourages pencil whipping. The operations team doesn't have the staffing to provide belt inspectors, so our FSQA team has taken on the responsibility. The current program is written so that all belts are inspected at start up, each break, shift change, and at the end of the last shift. To effectively inspect each belt, or even a partial rotation, takes up way more time than it was accounted for when the task was handed over.
I've identified belts that are most likely to have limited or no inspection after them (final belts prior to product going directly into a container, which might only get a 125 piece inspection out of 2000 lbs), belts that are difficult to inspect during operations or breaks, and belts that we have identified as contributing to most of our belting foreign material. I've started making a schedule of belts that include these more difficult or riskier belts being inspected more frequently than lower risk belts.
Does anyone here use a belt inspection program that has belts inspected on a rotation, with belts that have a higher likelihood of affecting finished product being inspected more frequently? From an SQF perspective, if all belts are inspected with corrective actions taking place and schedule being lined out, should I be concerned about approaching the program this way? My goal is to improve the effectiveness of the program by removing a task that is so daunting that just checking a box is more tempting than fully inspecting lines for hourly employees.