Out of Tolerance (OOT) Condition - What is an Out of Tolerance Condition?

We are having a 'spirited discussion' about what constitutes on out of tolerance (OOT) condition for the calibration of customers standards and equipment. As QA I say it's any condition that does not meet the customers contractual requirements, or pass our calibration procedure. This is generally agreed to except in the case when the equipment is in operative. If its inoperative, then some people say its not an out of tolerance condition. Where can I find a clear definition for OOT? I'm interested in learning about other peoples views on this topic. Thanks for the feedback.

I guess I need to ask, how does your group define non-operational and if you are talking about a gage being non-operational?

As an example, on occasion we take perfectly good gages out of circulation and tag them as "idle".

Is it operational? I guess it depends on the wording in your system documentation.

As for out of tolerance, your right on the mark.

Maybe some more examples from the Cove Group?

ASD...

My two cents...

"Out of tolerance" would be unable to meet the customer requirements (defined contractually). I'd be careful about using "my own" tolerances to define out of tolerance. In fact, ISO 17025 prohibits the cal service from making a judgement call of "in" or "out" unless the customer has requested this.

As for inoperative, I guess you could make a case for the gage being OOT; if it can't be used to measure, then it can't measure within the tolerance. In effect, the "as found" would be OOT. However, as a calibration consumer, I think I'd prefer the "as found" to show "Damaged" or "Not Operative" instead of "Out of Tolerance". The statement that the gage is damaged may help me in validating a review of previous results.

Sorry, I should have been a bit more specific. We calibrate electrical equipment for customers. We don't have a definition for "non-operational" because not everyone can reach a consesus (its a stubborn group). Thats why I say if you can't take a reading, then it's OOT. Good point about making judgements. We are going to 17025 in the near future. Last bit of info: I did grant certain exceptions - if a fuse is blown or the battery is dead or if it's a typical user function/adjustment, then it's not an OOT. The tech is allowed to fix the problem and then proceed with taking As Found data. Thanks for the feedback so far. I hope I can get a couple more points of view.

[CarolX]

I have a question - if the unit is inoperative, how can you call is out of tolerance? If it doesn't work, how can you check it against a standard? We work with standard measuring equipment, i.e. micrometer, calipers. If a set of calipers is dropped, or the gears become jamb, we repair the unit and then subject it to a full calibration.

And for Dan - is your 2 cents worth adjusted for inflation and/or the rising porice of fuel??? LOL

CarolX

To CarolX...

I generally make it a point to gas up BEFORE a trip to Chi Town. It doesn't save a lot, but it gives me a few extra cents to spend on the Illinois lottery! (I figure you Flatlander's have pulled enough of out of Wisconsin...it's MY turn! )

[CarolX]

Dan...

LOL!!!!

Shall we confuse the rest of the contributors with a Flatlander vs Cheesehead debate??????

Have a good day!

CarolX

Appreciate all of the feedback. I've decided to define, in writing, "Inoperative" and "Out-of-Tolerance" conditions for the lab using their suggestions. Basically, if you can't perform the cal, it's inoperative. If you can do the cal and the results do not meet the customers or the calibration procedures acceptance criteria, it will be an OOT. Of course, the final decision rests with the customer. Have a good weekend everybody.