Product safety requirement in Apparels

 

Introduction:

The product safety plays pivotal role in apparels section. It is absolutely true in fact t

hat, product safety can be defined that whatever buyer demands. Without fulfil the requirement of the safety requirement buyer will give compliant/ claim to the supplier. In each sector of apparel’s, must be follow below the requirement during the manufacturing of the product.          

 

Product safety requirement

The product safety requirement consists of 8 different sections.

1. Metal sharp control procedure
2. Sharp tools control procedure
3. Broken needle control procedure
4. Metal detection procedure
5. Component attachment  & their testing Procedure
6. Pest Control
7. Stain removing & house keeping
8. Product safety training

Metal sharp control procedure

1. Pins, staples, stapler, meta paper clips, perforated blades etc must not be used in any part of the manufacturing unit including the raw materials warehouse, sample room, cutting, production area, knitting and warehouse.
2. Facility should collect and stored of offending materials (pins, staples, meta paper clips…) in secure area (in a sharps box/bottle)
3. Any contamination found in following area must be removed or disposed of in secure sharp container. Incoming machinery, equipment, and spars parts. Incoming post, document, sample raw materials ( Yarn, accessories, fabric)  carton, box

Sharp tools control procedure

1. Facility should tied their sharp tools ( Scissor, clippers, & tweezer)   at their work station ( Machine, table )
2. Facility should maintain stock control record, issue balance record, daily checking record effectively of their sharp tools ( Scissor, clippers, & tweezer)  in any part of the manufacturing unit including the raw materials warehouse, sample room, cutting, production area, knitting and warehouse.
3. At the end of the day, sharp tools ( Scissor, clippers, & tweezer) need to be returned of their concern person ( e.g Supervisor)
4. Concern person ensure that no extra or missing sharp tools were found in any part of the manufacturing unit including the raw materials warehouse, sample room, cutting, production area, knitting and warehouse.
5. Sharp tools ( Scissor, clippers, & tweezer) should keep in secure area by the dedicated person

Cutting blade ( Band knife & straight knife) replacement record must be maintained properly.

 

Needle control procedure

1. Needle control policy should be establish as per client requirement.
2. All issue, balance & replacement needle record must be kept with proper record.
3. Any new needles ( sewing, hand sewing, linking, trimming & mending, Knitting needle & idle machine needle )  issued by the needle issuer, fully trained, and  authorizer person.
4. Spare needle must be held in authorizer person in controlled & kept secure location.
5. If any needle is broken, all parts must be accounted before being issued new needle to the operators.
6. If the broken parts of the needle were not found , there should be followed effectively broken needle policy.
7. Broken parts of the needle must carry with needle container box. ( Inside of the needle container box must be kept magnet)
8. Under any circumstances must not any operator/ machinist hold any spare needle.
9. Any idle / inactive machine held in factory, must remove idle machine needle from the idle machine.
10. All Needle Control Records must be kept for a Minimum 2 years.

Metal detection procedure

v  Metal Detectors must be a conveyor belt type, with an

       aperture through which the products pass

v  The conveyor belt must not automatically re-start once the

       alarm has been activated and the belt stopped.

v  Metal detector must be capable of detecting an approved

       1.0 or 1.2mm ‘Ferrous Test Standard’ supplied by the metal          detector supplier.

v  Metal detector is located in a hole in the finished goods warehouse wall and goods can only enter the warehouse through the metal detector.

v  Metal detector a ‘checking test’ must be carried out using the ‘9 Point System’.  ( Every 02 hour calibration record maintain, if production there)

v  Metal detector a ‘checking test’ must be carried out using the ‘24 Point System’.  ( Once in a month for special req )

v  All detected goods must be hold 02 hours in a quarantine area before release into the finished goods area.

v  Where any product activates the metal detector alarm, this must be placed in a sealed poly bag and locked in a secure box located at the metal detector.

v  If a test fails, or an inspection identifies an issue with the metal detection equipment, the line must be stopped, and all products produced since the last successful check / inspection must be put on hold. Product which has been put on hold must be rechecked and records kept.

v  All rejected products must be retested. If the reject reoccurs, it must be investigated for metal contamination and records kept. Where multiple rejects occur the production line must be stopped for a full documented investigation.

v  In line, pre-final, & final inspection goods must  kept recalibration record

v  Facility must be detected (though metal detector machine) subcontracted goods e.g. embroidered or beaded before being issued to production floor

v  The conveyor belt type must be set up correctly ( No big gap between machine & Wall )

v  The conveyor belt metal detector sensitivity dial should be covered and locked

v  No trimming operation (such as using scissors to trim the thread ends) and no packing operation (such as using tag guns to attach hang tags) in the metal free zone.

v  No paper work with offending materials (staples, clips…) in metal free zone

v  A hand-held metal detector should be available  in factory, alarms 1.2mm or 1.00 mm ferrous metal standard, and maintain self calibration record

v  Where the product with large metal components can’t pass through the conveyor belt detector shall be checked by hand-held metal detector (If it is not effective shall be checked by hand)

v   Training need to be provided to metal detector operator

Component attachment

v  Snap /rivet Attachment machines must be pneumatic and not manual

v  The component attaching section set up in a partition off area

v  Physical standard or mock up of the positioning must be available at the machine

v  Technical data sheet must be available at the machine

v  All machine must be positioned on a ‘Gridded Floor’ to allow for the capture of any spilt parts

v  Attachment of any poppers, rivets & press studs are for children product, they must be purchased from nominated supplier ( YKK, PRYM).

v  Pull test machine must be available at the facility & conduct pull test report twice  in a day with 02 pcs garments for Children item ( Snub, metal, plastic attachment )

v  Vernier calipers must be available to conduct pinch setting report by trained staff (conducting pinch thickness checking twice in a day with 05 pcs garments ) and pinch setting result need to be recorded in graphics form

v  For plastic button Bingo card must be kept

v  All the machine service record need to keep twice in years.

v  At least two trained pull test operator should be available at the facility with certificates from the machine supplier ( any 3^rd part )

Pest control program

v  Effective Pest control program should conduct with specialist company for whole factory

v  Monitors will be in place both externally and internally, these will be examined against a documented schedule.

v  The Pest Control Provider (PCP) may be a specialist company or trained employee.         

v  License (from Govt. ) of pest control service provider.

v  Visit report /service report with documentation of chemicals used, work completed, observations of activity and recommendations.

v  Effective programmed of follow up visits or follow up audits (internally or externally ).

Product safety training

v  Facility should provide product safety training to the workers based on customer product safety manuals/ standards regularly  (sharp tools, metal detector operators, needle controllers, pull test operators) and maintain record properly.

v   Facility should arrange product safety manuals/ guideline

v  At least two trained pull test operators, should be available at the facility with certificates from the machine supplier ( any 3^rd part )

 

 Nazmul Huda-B, Sc in Textile, M.Sc in Environment