We shouldn't have windex in manufacturing area - Is the auditor right?

[Stijloor]

I think that the initial post, and the first response to it (by Steelmaiden) were all that was necessary.

Indeed! Windex had 4 pages of free advertisement.

Stijloor.

 

[Mike_H]

I think that the initial post, and the first response to it (by Steelmaiden) were all that was necessary.

agree with that Jim...I'd want to be 100% sure that any verbal comments are understood and wording agreed at close-out. Anything that's said "off the cuff" and isn't written down can stay that way as far as I'm concerned. If it's an "opportunity for improvement", well then dispute it at close-out if you feel more information is required, otherwise forget it and move on.

I read somewhere that coffee on the shop-floor is bad too for certain metallics...I think Aluminium (aka Aluminum)... must be a corrosive I'm guessing. I should try to cut back...

 

[RandT]

Seeing this thread brought back memories.

I worked for an auto glass manufacturer for many years. We used Windex all the time with no thought; I mean it was made for glass cleaning, so how could it ever cause any issues? I mean we used several gallons a day throughout the entire plant thinking the cleaner we got the glass, the better it had to be.

We had an adhesion issue with one of the components we bonded to the glass, and after a lot of lab analysis, it looked like the Windex wasn't necessarily the cause of the failure, but did leave a residue that did have some negative impact on adhesion. As a result, Windex was immediately banned from the plant, and a lot of the employees went home with a bottle of it that day.

 

[Charlie H]

Well just to let everyone know. That auditor will be back in a couple of weeks. While she is here we are going to request to see the proof.

I will keep everyone updated.

 

[Jim Wynne]

Well just to let everyone know. That auditor will be back in a couple of weeks. While she is here we are going to request to see the proof.

I will keep everyone updated.

Thanks for the update. I think you need to think about how you approach this issue, though. If this was indeed an offhand comment, and not intended to be a catalyst for correcting the situation, you'll probably be best off not bringing it up at all. If she does bring it up, rather than asking the auditor for evidence, you might just say that you evaluated the situation and decided that the risk was negligible and outweighed by the need to provide a method for cleaning machine windows. In the meantime it might be a good idea to alert your operators to the concern, if you haven' already.

 

[bobdoering]

Thanks for the update. I think you need to think about how you approach this issue, though. If this was indeed an offhand comment, and not intended to be a catalyst for correcting the situation, you'll probably be best off not bringing it up at all.

I agree. I would not make anywhere as near of a fuss about it with the auditor as we did in this thread. This is a much more academic discussion - including trying to figure out where the notion came from in the first place.

You could 5S the windex someplace while the auditor is there, just to keep it out of the conversation.

 

[SteelMaiden]

or, just politely say "the last time you were here you asked if we had evaluated the effect of Windex on our product. We've done quite a bit of research but have not found anything to suggest a problem. If' you are aware of something that suggests otherwise, we'd love to see the data if you'd be so kind to point us in the right direction."

eta: please, if you or any of us have something come up in an audit that they are unsure of....ask your auditor, in a non-argumentative way, what they are talking about, or if they can provide evidence to back up their comments. I've only met 2 auditors in my 20 years of QA work that would not have helped me out if I asked them for clarification. Believe me when I say that I've dealt with a lot of auditors. Some I've liked more than others, but almost all of them are very nice people.

 

[Wes Bucey]

or, just politely say "the last time you were here you asked if we had evaluated the effect of Windex on our product. We've done quite a bit of research but have not found anything to suggest a problem. If' you are aware of something that suggests otherwise, we'd love to see the data if you'd be so kind to point us in the right direction."

eta: please, if you or any of us have something come up in an audit that they are unsure of....ask your auditor, in a non-argumentative way, what they are talking about, or if they can provide evidence to back up their comments. I've only met 2 auditors in my 20 years of QA work that would not have helped me out if I asked them for clarification. Believe me when I say that I've dealt with a lot of auditors. Some I've liked more than others, but almost all of them are very nice people.

Excellent spin!

I agree, most auditors (second or third party) are willing to share knowledge when asked in the right (nonconfrontational) manner.

But then that holds true for most folks, auditor or not, we all want to be heroes or heroines in our own story and, by definition, the hero is the GOOD GUY!

 

[bobdoering]

or, just politely say "the last time you were here you asked if we had evaluated the effect of Windex on our product. We've done quite a bit of research but have not found anything to suggest a problem. If' you are aware of something that suggests otherwise, we'd love to see the data if you'd be so kind to point us in the right direction."

I would not even bring it up if it was not a finding. But, if the auditor mentions it, then I would use that approach.