Safety and Quality Metrics to Maintain

Although real time information helps predict problems and provide proactive information, reporting lagging indicators is still an important safety practice. ​While there are literally dozens of benchmarks manufacturers could monitor to help track quality and safety in the workplace, we’ve honed in on five specific metrics that will help drive your bottomline.  

• Warranty claims and return authorizations – A good way to see how customers think about the quality of your products is to look at the number of returns and warranty claims you have and cross compare to not only your own internal benchmarks and past month’s claims but to your competitors as well. High rates within an organization should be viewed as an immediate red flag that there are possible issues with quality. Analyzing this monthly can help determine the root issue so it can be addressed and so nothing slips through the cracks.
• Incident and accident frequency – Hopefully your organization has implemented a 6S approach in all of its facilities which has ultimately helped enhance overall safety in your workplace. But – it’s important to still take a look at the number of injuries that have happened on the manufacturing floor and figure out what caused them and how to prevent them. Make sure your team is compiling full reports following an incident and that an investigation happens swiftly – the longer it takes for an incident to be reported, the less detail you may have to work with. The Lean Enterprise Institute says that seasoned environmental, health and safety staffers know the importance of tracking an organization's Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) – OSHA’s way of helping track injuries and finding patters that might exist. If you're new to the safety game, the TCIR is a benchmark and standardized reporting system that you can use to compare your company’s safety performance against other organizations.
• Overall equipment effectiveness – If you want to identify the percent of manufacturing time that is truly productive, look no further than the OEE, which is referred to as a gold standard for benchmarking. This measurement analyzes workflow and actual machine performance. Experts suggest looking at three specific areas to improve the productivity of your equipment:
• Availability – taking into account planned and unplanned stops
• Performance – identifying slow cycles or small stops that occur
• Quality – looking at the number of defects that are set aside or parts that need to be reworked
• Number of noncompliance events per year – According to an article in Quality Digest, a company’s leadership team should be measuring the number of times a plant or facility operated outside the guidelines of normal regulatory compliance rules annually. These non-compliances should be captured and thoroughly documented and include the reason, when it happens and how it was resolved.  
• Inspections – Formal evaluations are supposed to happen regularly at most organizations but they can definitely slip through the cracks if not properly monitored. Conducting an audit can help determine how equipment is working and ensure regular inspections are happening as planned.