OPTIMIZING PROCEDURES IN MANUFACTURING SYSTEMS

A significant amount of time and effort in manufacturing operations is directed toward the development of procedures intended to ensure that work activities are carried out in a safe and efficient manner. Despi te the often high level of investment, however, it appears that there are a number of problem areas associated with procedure use where the systems frequently fail to meet their intended objectives. The cost of failures in a procedure system can vary quite widely dependent upon t he nature of the operation. In most cases the consequences of failure have only a negligible effect on the overall performance of a company and can be measured in terms of production hours. Occasionally, howeve r, the consequences of failure can be catastrophic and result in signi ficant damage to people, plant and the environment. The purpose of thi s paper is twofold: The first objective is to provide a preliminary re view of common problems which are associated with the catastrophic fai lure of procedure systems in a manufacturing environment. The second a im is to consider some of the ways that a human factors approach might be used to help prevent the more serious failures associated with the use of procedures in industrial settings. Relevance to industry A rel iable and well-managed system for procedure design and use is an impor tant component in a safe and efficient manufacturing process. Poorly d esigned procedures may be misinterpreted or even ignored by management and-operational staff, which in turn can result in major incidents in volving human casualties and production loss.