Manufacturing Employee Training Checklist

Walk the new hire through the SDS binder location, the HMIS / NFPA 704 labeling system, and how to look up a chemical they have not seen before. Required under OSHA 29 CFR 1910.1200 and must be re-trained whenever a new hazardous chemical is introduced to the work area.

Use the machine-specific LOTO procedure from the energy control program (29 CFR 1910.147). Have the trainee identify every energy isolation point — electrical disconnect, pneumatic, hydraulic, stored energy — and apply their personal lock. Authorized vs. affected employee status drives the depth of training required.

Issue safety glasses, hearing protection, and steel-toe boots per the area PPE assessment (29 CFR 1910.132). If respirator use is required, complete medical clearance and quantitative or qualitative fit-test per 1910.134 before the employee enters the area.

Walk the primary and secondary egress routes from the trainee's work cell to the muster point. Show eyewash and safety shower locations, fire extinguisher types by class, and the AED. Cover the andon / stop-the-line authority — every operator can pull it.

Per 29 CFR 1910.178, forklift training is equipment-specific. A counterbalance certification does not transfer to reach truck or order picker. Confirm whether this role operates any powered industrial truck and which classes.

Cover stability triangle, load handling, pedestrian rules, and the daily pre-shift inspection. Practical evaluation must be performed by a qualified trainer on each truck class the operator will use. Keep the signed evaluation in the training file — OSHA inspectors ask for it.

Show where current-rev work instructions and drawings live in the document control system. Reinforce the rule that uncontrolled printouts on the floor are scrap risk — always check the rev against the system before starting a job. Reference ISO 9001 clause 7.5 on documented information.

Walk through a representative production print: title block, rev level, critical-to-quality dimensions, GD&T symbols (position, profile, runout), and the inspection sheet that ties to it. Trainee should be able to identify which features are FAI characteristics and which are sampled in-process.

Cover zeroing, proper grip, parallax, and how to read a vernier vs. digital readout. Show the calibration sticker on each gauge and the red-tag rule for past-due or dropped gauges. Trainee performs a gauge R&R-style repeat measurement on a setup piece.

Show the red-tag area, the NCR form (paper or QMS), and the rule that suspect parts never go back into normal flow without disposition. Common gotcha: parts un-segregated by mistake when the red-tag bin overflows — escalate to the quality engineer rather than commingle.

Walk through a live traveler: routing, op numbers, lot/heat capture for traceability, in-process sign-offs. Reinforce that an unsigned operation in the traveler is the same as work not done — it will block the next op.

Trainee observes a full changeover with the setup operator, with the SMED setup sheet in hand. Cover tooling pull from the crib, fixture install, program load, and offsets. Setup is where most first-piece scrap originates — slow and methodical beats fast and wrong.

FAI is non-negotiable at every setup and after any tooling change. Trainee runs the first piece, quality measures every characteristic on the inspection sheet, and the FAI sheet is signed before the run is released. Skipping FAI to make schedule is the most common cause of bulk scrap on this floor.

Show the control plan for the trainee's part family — sample frequency, characteristics, gauge, and reaction plan if a measurement falls out of tolerance. Cover SPC chart interpretation: trends and runs trigger investigation before parts go out of spec.

Cover the shift log: WO status, partial counts, scrap and rework qty, anomalies, and any in-process WOs the next shift inherits. End-of-shift is when actuals get entered in the ERP — wrong actuals corrupt the standard cost variance review.

Determine which regulatory regime the trainee's work touches: AS9100 for aerospace, ISO 13485 / 21 CFR 820 for medical device, IATF 16949 for automotive, ISO 9001 for general QMS, or FSMA / 21 CFR 117 for food. Each carries its own training records and signature requirements.

Aerospace customers audit FOD (foreign object debris) prevention and counterfeit-parts awareness as named clauses (AS9100 8.1.4 and 8.1.3). Cover FOD walks, clean-as-you-go, tool accountability per the toolroom checkout, and the supplier-traceability chain for raw material certs.

Cover the site's RCRA generator status (VSQG, SQG, or LQG), satellite accumulation rules, labeling and dating of waste containers, and what cannot go in regular trash — coolant, solvent rags, used oil, absorbents. Annual refresher is required for SQG and LQG sites.

Capture signatures on each training module — auditors trace training records back to the individual employee on the floor. Missing signatures show up as findings in ISO surveillance audits and customer audits. File the completed packet in the training matrix.

Trainee runs a small qualification batch under the supervisor's eye — typically 25 to 50 pieces depending on cycle time. Quality inspects per the standard sampling plan. The trainee is not released to unsupervised work until the qualification batch passes.

If qualification failed, the supervisor and quality engineer agree on the targeted re-training plan — specific machine ops, gauge use, or print reading — and schedule a re-attempt. Do not release a partially-qualified operator to unsupervised work; this is how recurring scrap problems start.

Plant manager updates the skills matrix to reflect the qualified work centers and machine classes. Set the 90-day refresher reminder and the annual recertification date for OSHA-driven topics (forklift, LOTO, HazCom, respirator).