Production Process Audit Checklist

Pull the mill cert (CoC / CoA) for the lot at the work center and confirm alloy, grade, heat number, and mechanical properties match the PO and drawing callout. Stainless-vs-carbon mix-ups are a known PMI gotcha — if the print calls for 316L, the cert had better say 316L.

Each container or bundle should carry a heat number or lot tag that ties back to receiving and to the traveler. Untagged or co-mingled material is rejected back to the stockroom — no exceptions, even on a hot job.

Adhesives, resins, masterbatch, and any time-sensitive material must be within shelf life and stored to the SDS conditions (temperature, humidity, segregation from incompatibles). Flag anything past expiry — don't return it to the rack.

Move rejected material to the red-tag / quarantine area, write the NCR in the QMS, and notify the buyer same shift so the supplier scorecard reflects it. Closed-loop NCR — no parts leave quarantine without a documented disposition.

Walk the cell and verify every measurement device — calipers, mics, pin gauges, torque wrenches, CMM probes — has a current calibration sticker. Past-due gauges get red-tagged immediately; do not let an operator finish the shift on a stale gauge.

Pull the PM history from the CMMS (Fiix, eMaint, Limble, Maximo — whatever you run) and confirm scheduled PMs are closed within their compliance window. Deferred PMs should have a plant-manager-signed deferral, not just a quietly skipped WO.

Functionally trip every E-stop on the machine and verify all interlocked guards stop motion. OSHA 1910.212 / 1910.147 — bypassed or taped-over interlocks are an instant fail and a stop-work condition until repaired.

Cross-check the program number, tooling list, fixture, and parameters against the current routing in the PLM / MES. An ECN released last week but not cascaded to the floor is the classic source of a full-shift scrap event.

Stand at the cell and watch a full cycle. Compare what the operator actually does against the work instruction at the station — sequence, torque values, dwell times, visual aids. Drift between the SOP and the practiced method is what LPAs are designed to catch.

Verify the operator is sampling at the frequency on the control plan (e.g., every 25th piece, hourly, or per AQL per ANSI Z1.4). Check the last several entries on the inspection sheet for legibility, time stamps, and recorded values — not just initials.

Look at the X-bar R or attribute charts at the station. Western Electric rule violations (run of 7, 2 of 3 beyond 2 sigma, trend) require a documented reaction. Charts that look perfect for a month usually mean nobody is plotting.

Confirm every operator at the cell has a signed training record for the current rev of the work instruction and any required certs (forklift per 1910.178, crane / hoist, weld procedure). Anyone running without a record gets coached off the operation today.

Pull a sample per the AQL on the control plan and measure every characteristic flagged critical or major on the drawing. Use the gauges called out in the inspection sheet — substituting a caliper for a pin gauge is a finding.

Compare against the accept / reject boundary samples at the station — scratches, burrs, color, fit. If boundary samples are missing or older than the current rev, that's a finding before any product disposition.

Confirm carton labels match the PO (part number, rev, qty, lot), country-of-origin marking is correct for CBP, and any UN / hazmat marks are present where required. Wrong marking is the most common reason a carrier or customer dock kicks a shipment.

Pick one finished serial / lot at random and walk traceability backwards through the traveler to the raw heat or batch. A traceability break here is a recall risk and an immediate ISO / IATF / AS9100 nonconformance.

Quarantine the lot, notify the customer-quality contact if any product has already shipped, and open a CAR with an 8D framework. Effectiveness check — defect-free run for the agreed cycle count — is required before closure.

Walk the floor and confirm safety glasses, hearing protection in posted areas (1910.95), cut-resistant gloves where required, and respirators where the JHA calls for them. Coach in the moment; log repeat offenders on the audit form.

Floor markings visible, tools shadow-boarded, no oil pooling, walkways clear. 5S that's a paperwork ritual instead of a daily discipline is the gotcha — don't sign off on a clean form over a cluttered cell.

Every secondary container should carry a GHS-compliant label, and the SDS for every chemical on the floor should be reachable in under a minute (binder or digital). New chemicals introduced since the last audit need an SDS update and targeted HazCom training.

Per 29 CFR 1910.147, every machine needs a documented, machine-specific LOTO procedure at the energy source. Generic procedures don't count. Spot-check two operators on the lockout sequence — if they hesitate, retrain before the next PM.

Exit paths clear, signage lit, eyewash stations flushed weekly per ANSI Z358.1, fire extinguishers within their inspection date. Blocked exits are an instant OSHA citation if a compliance officer walks in.