IAS eNews
Top Five Fabricator Corrective Action Requests
Helping Meet Code Requirements and Save Money
When
a building department requires a fabricator to become accredited by IAS, it
is primarily to ensure they are meeting the code requirements in Section 1704.2.2
of the 2000 International Building Code® (IBC). For example, the
IAS program verifies the fabricator's procedural and quality control documentation
and that an approved agency is conducting periodic inspections of the fabricator
facility. What the building department might not realize is that in requiring
IAS accreditation, they are often setting a process into place that will save
the fabricator money as well.
Case in point. One of the results of the IAS evaluation process is a list of Corrective Action Requests (CARs), or items that the fabricator must correct in order to become accredited. The most frequent CARs issued by IAS Accreditation Officers for the fabricator inspection program are related to criteria and procedures, particularly on the fabricator's management program for monitoring quality. They include:
1. Review of internal audits
2. Control of nonconforming workmanship
3. Training of personnel
4. Developing quality plans that meet project specifications
5. Annual management reviews
"In fact, if a fabricator has not fully implemented its quality management system, they are not getting the full value of their investment and it may be costing them a lot more money," says Sandi McCracken, IAS Accreditation Officer. "In many cases, it's costing fabricators between 6% to 10% of their overall profit because they are not developing and enacting a continuous improvement plan. Fabricators need to take a proactive position as opposed to a reactive one to grow a successful business in an increasingly competitive market."
So how can a fabricator measure the success of his overall plan?
- Implement a plan that ensures you have the adequate information you
need to guide your ship. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. IAS AC
172, the Accreditation Criteria for Fabricator Inspection Programs for Structural
Steel, for instance, includes an outline to help fabricators periodically
evaluate themselves to determine if they are sticking to their plan. You
can break this criteria into four sections that can be audited quarterly
by individuals. These individuals are typically not in that area of responsibility
and can provide you with a true snapshot of what is going on within your
organization.
- Require your quality control department to document all non-conforming
rework. It would benefit you to assign a time, usually in tenths of
an hour to any repair work. As you assign a value to this time, keep in
mind that time is not a compound factor of x3-experts often suggest x5.
For instance, even if the rework does not involve additional purchase of
materials, you must still take into account the time the worker initially
spent to make that part unusable, the time needed to undo the work, the
time taken to rework it to acceptable standards, and you must also factor
in the work that person did not get done because of the rework. At a minimum,
your compound factor is x4.
- Use the internal audits and nonconforming log to identify training
needs. It is usually management's lack of approach to training that
bites them in the foot. Joe Welder and Fred Fitter are the guys you depend
on-however they do not always understand the management approach to systems
and procedures. From what I have seen, Joe and Fred are well…too proud
to tell you they don't always know.
- Get the team together when you bid a job. The shop floor managers
know what their team is capable of doing and what equipment may be the life
saver or thorn. Develop a quality plan that is easily understood by everyone.
- Take advantage of your annual management reviews. Use all the
data collected from the above exercises, throw in your customer complaints
and back charges and grab an excel spreadsheet and document them. They will
enable you to manage your ship more effectively.
- To ensure that your product meets project specifications, develop a program that incorporates each of these items. IAS's fabricator accreditation criteria can help you accomplish this.
IAS's AC157 criteria specifies the minimum requirements for IAS-accredited Fabricator Inspection Programs for Reinforced Concrete while AC 172 specifies the minimum requirements for IAS-approved fabricator inspection programs for structural steel. Compliance with these criteria meets Section 1701.7 of the 1997 Uniform Building Code™ (UBC) and Section 1704.2.2 of the 2000 IBC.
Both AC172 and AC157 require nonconformance and corrective action procedures. These procedures will help a fabricator document procedures and analyze trends that help reduce, preclude or eliminate problems from occurring over and over again. They also require annual management reviews that include a summary and a documented plan of action for improvement. Documents considered during the annual management review must include, but are not limited to, customer complaints, back charges, internal audit results and corrective actions
McCracken adds, "AC172 and AC157 are tools to help improve a fabricator's operational efficiency and product quality. If they do this in proactive way, they will achieve these results. Time and money are important in these competitive times and IAS fabricators understand that public safety is second to none in their goals. These are the same fabricators that find value added results in implementing the IAS Fabricator Inspection Program and earning their accreditation."