ISO 9001 Containment Requirements

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GregRus

This may be a very obvious question but I was queried about containment requirements from ISO9001 but did not see anything specifically stating this in the requirements I had. Of course this is second nature for me when a non-conformance occurs but I lacked the specific ISO reference. Can some one help with this please? Thanks
 

howste

Thaumaturge
Trusted Information Resource
This may be a very obvious question but I was queried about containment requirements from ISO9001 but did not see anything specifically stating this in the requirements I had. Of course this is second nature for me when a non-conformance occurs but I lacked the specific ISO reference. Can some one help with this please? Thanks

If you're talking about nonconforming product, look at clause 8.3:
ISO 9001:2008 said:
The organization shall ensure that product which does not conform to product requirements is identified and controlled to prevent its unintended use or delivery.
 

Big Jim

Admin
The word containment is often used interchangeably with correction.

Correction is defined in ISO as the action taken to overcome a nonconformance. To stay in perspective, corrective action is defined as the action taken to overcome the CAUSE of a nonconformance.

So "correction" or "containment" is often considered to be the short term answer to "contain" the problem, and "corrective action" is the long term answer, speaking to the root cause, to keep the problem from recurring.

Some support for this thinking can be found in element 8.2.2 about internal audits. "The management responsible for the area being audited shall ensure that any necessary CORRECTIONS and corrective actions are taken . . . "
 

Sidney Vianna

Post Responsibly
Leader
Admin
This may be a very obvious question but I was queried about containment requirements from ISO9001 but did not see anything specifically stating this in the requirements I had. Of course this is second nature for me when a non-conformance occurs but I lacked the specific ISO reference. Can some one help with this please? Thanks
Welcome to The Cove. The term containment is not defined in ISO 9000 nor ISO 9001. It is a term used in aerospace quality management and it is defined in AS9101D. The definition available from the IAQG dictionary reads
action to control and mitigate impact of a problem and protect the customer's operation (stop the problem getting worse). Includes correction, immediate corrective action, immediate communication and verification that problem does not further degrade.
 

Jim Wynne

Leader
Admin
If you're talking about nonconforming product, look at clause 8.3:
Originally Posted by ISO 9001:2008
The organization shall ensure that product which does not conform to product requirements is identified and controlled to prevent its unintended use or delivery.

Although the standard doesn't use the word "containment," this is what's generally expected. In automotive use, it generally refers to identifying the whereabouts of all suspect material and preventing further processing. It's sometimes also referred to as "clearing the pipeline."
 
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M

mortby

I would tend to think in terms of three levels of action after a problem:

Containment - How do I stop it getting worse?
Correction - How do I fix this instance of this problem, here and now?
Corrective - How do I fix the root cause to stop it happening again, or something similar happening elsewhere?

So, for example, I'm working in a machine shop cutting metal, and I start getting some parts off automated mill that have a bore cut undersize. These parts are pretty urgent and are needed for something to send to a customer the next day.

My containment action would be to stop the machine running and quarantine the parts - stopping the machine stops the situation getting worse as I'm no longer producing non-conforming parts and putting the parts in quarantine means they can't get out of the shop and start being used in product. I've basically bought myself some time to work out what I'm going to do next.

My correction action might be to put the non-conforming parts back up on the machine and take small cuts, measuring as I go to make sure that I get some parts that meet the drawing. I haven't solved the problem here - I still don't know why it was cutting undersize, but I'm getting some good parts that I can use to meet my customer order.

For my corrective action I now need to work out why it went wrong - was the programme incorrect? was the tool worn? These are things I can fix - maybe the programme wasn't proved out properly, so I look at training for my programmers and whether my checking process is working properly. If the tool is worn - was it checked before it went on the machine - is my set-up process working? Am I checking the tools often enough and changing them when needed? I'm sure you get the picture...

To me, this is about good business sense and buying yourself enough time to do a detailed investigation, without crippling the production facility and not meeting the customer targets. The standard requires that I know there has been a problem, that I've fixed it and that I've documented what I've done. It isn't specific as to how!
 

jelly1921

Quite Involved in Discussions
containment is a part actions requried in 8.3 d) by taking action appropriate to the effects, or potential effects, of the nonconformity when nonconforming product is detected after delivery or use has started.
 

Big Jim

Admin
How about promt corrective action?

ISO 9000 defines both correction and corrective action. Unfortunately, the word "action" is used in both definitions, sometimes causing confusion.

The paraphrased definitions are:

correction -- action taken to eliminate a nonconformance.

corrective action -- action taken to eliminate the cause of a nonconformance.

In that spirit, "prompt correction action" may be more appropriate, but it probably doesn't matter what you call it as long as it is understood what is meant.
 
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