FOD (Foreign Object Debris) are considered as a major concern in the aerospace industry whether it is commercial, defense, or space. In fact, FOD have contributed to major incidents/accidents that resulted in costly material damages, loss of vehicles and of life. Ultimately it leads to financial losses and impacts to company’s image.

While most companies strengthened their processes in the traditional areas, auditors transitioned to spend more time in “non-traditional” topics such as FOD, counterfeit prevention or human factors.

The purpose of this article is to provide guidance on how to implement a robust FOD prevention program.

FOD Prevention Program Components

Besides free FOD downloads provided in this article, step-by-step explanations will follow the below structure. You can skip directly tot he download section.

– LEVEL-1: Must have

• • • • • FOD Procedure
        • FOD Map
        • Signage and identification
        • FOD Training Module
        • FOD Risk Analysis
        • Management involvement and performance measurement

– Level-2: Don’t wait long

• • • • • FOD Awareness Leaflet for Visitors
        • FOD Gemba Walk
        • FOD Bulletin

– Level-3: Nice to have

• • • • • FOD Annual Walk
        • FOD Advanced KPIs
        • FOD Self-Assessment
        • The synergy between work permit and FOD
        • Best practices

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LEVEL 1: MUST HAVE

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FOD Prevention Program Procedure

The FOD prevention procedure is the documented information that will explain the different pillars of the FOD prevention program. It shall remain a high-level document that provides overall guidance about the management system and shall not contain daily details that will be captured in the lower-level documents (e.g.: FOD risk analysis).

A good starting point is to structure the procedure around the requirements or chapters of the AS9164 however if you don’t have already an existing embryo of FOD culture or prevention program, it can be overwhelming to satisfy all the requirements of the AS9164. I would advise aiming for “going from nothing to something”. It is better to achieve small steps that are followed by everyone and turn the PDCA wheel rather than having a heavy procedure that is not used. The order of importance of the bricks that compose the FOD prevention program is described in the previous chapter.

You can download our complete FOD prevention pack, which includes a ready-to-use procedure as well as all the related templates, using the following link.

FOD AREAS and FOD Map

The FOD map is one of the most interesting documents that can be used as an ice breaker to have a grip with anyone being introduced to the FOD principles for the first time.

It shall contain an explanation of the different FOD areas and a visual representation of these areas in the plant. It is a common practice to segregate the plant into 3 areas and each of these has its own color and requirements  :

FOD Awareness Area – Blue (Lowest Risk):

This is the lowest risk area with limited contact with parts and materials (e.g.: offices, canteen, meeting rooms, etc). Employees must adhere to the FOD instructions and limit their exposure to FOD:

• • • • Awareness to not contaminate personal belongings that are taken to the shop floor (e.g: safety shoes, jacket, cap, personal equipment)
      • Awareness when a new material or chemical is ordered (e.g.: a buyer can be asked to place an order for silicone or acetone which was never ordered before)
      • Keep the doors to the shop floor closed where required
      • Inform FOD window person about abnormalities
      • Practice appropriate housekeeping (5S) and CAYGO (Clean-As-You-Go)

Signs are posted in this area to raise awareness of employees.

FOD Controlled area- Orange or Yellow (Medium Risk):

These areas are at medium risk level for FOD incidents with low potential for entrapment or migration of FOD into hardware. The risks identified in this area are mitigated by subsequent inspections or manufacturing process steps.

For example, a machining process can generate FOD such as burrs, dust or grease contamination. But it can be considered as medium risk because in the following step there can be air blowing, cleaning, degreasing process that will anyway eliminate those FOD. Another example is the risk of having contamination from pests (e.g.: birds, insects, etc) which can happen anywhere and anytime in the shop floor but if you implement proper prevention activities such as :

• • • • • pest control (occurrence)
        • keep doors closed all the time (occurrence)
        • separate the shop floor from the warehouse (the warehouse may open and close doors to ship and receive materials) (occurrence)
        • covering the goods or storing them in closed containers when not in use (occurrence)
        • final inspection (detection)

then the risk is mitigated and the area can be considered as an FOD control area instead of a critical area.

In addition to the above, there is a high number of best practices in these areas among which:

• • • • • Tools and equipment accountability
        • Secure personal items (jewelry, badges)
        • Strict procedures for greasing and lubricating (usually only done by maintenance or trained operators)
        • CAYGO and Housekeeping
        • Rules for product handling (usually described in customer specifications)

In many aspects, the FOD-controlled areas will obey the same rules as FOD critical area but the difference between the two is that you may allow in the FOD Controlled Area some activities that generate FOD on the basis of a risk assessment and mitigation plans while in the latter you will use the principle of precaution to its full extend and no deviation is tolerated. In fact, most of the critical areas will be dictated by customers or Nadcap, and usually if it is not the case your risk assessment will prevail.

This area is identified with yellow or orange signs :

Critical FOD area – RED (HIGH RISK):

These are the most critical areas of the plant and any FOD incident can go unseen until it is detected by the customer or in the worst case causing an incident on the aircraft.

Best practices in these areas are:

• • • • • Operation shall inspect 100% of parts or assembly for FOD
        • Clean-As-You–Go and tight housekeeping standards
        • Strict tool accountability enforced
        • No personal items – ensure eyewear, ear protection, and badges are secure
        • “Take as need” basis for consumables
        • Controlled environmental conditions (when required)
        • Positive pressure and entry sas (when required)
        • Specific personnel attire (that will not be used/contaminated in other FOD areas)
        • No hand cream, perfumes, personal equipment using silicone, etc
        • No machines/engines emitting fumes or gases
        • Mobcaps when required by specification or risk assessment

Below is an example of an FOD critical area sign:

FOD MAP

The FOD map will then visually define each of these areas in a plant layout. While these areas are generally physical areas (e.g: workshops, clean rooms, warehouse) it is possible to define moveable items in one or the other category. These items can be carts, WIP boxes, temporary rework areas, etc

Below is an example of a FOD Map :

Example of FOD Map is available in the download section.

FOD Training Module

Similarly to several activities, FOD prevention requires a training program. You shall make good use of existing HR procedures and not remake the wheel. The FOD prevention program training is not different from other competencies that require training, evidence of training, assessment of the training effectiveness, and regular training refresh.

In the FOD prevention procedure, you can refer to existing HR procedures for most of the training requirements. Just pay attention that FOD deployment shall cover :

• The blue and white collar permanent employees: you can decide if you give full training g to everyone or adapt the training module to the audience.
• Temporary employees: the FOD procedure shall explain what is the difference between a temporary employee and a visitor. Usually in this group, you will find temps, employees with temporary contracts, and contractors (e.g.: maintenance, janitors, gardeners, etc). To not overload the rules, they can follow the same rules as permanent employees.
• Visitors: People that visit your organization for a determined period. While office visitors can go through a brief awareness training, visitors that perform special work in the shopfloor shall be considered with due diligence. The second category is maybe the most critical group of people you should carefully consider. Sub-contractors may not have awareness of FOD requirements and risks. They genuinely may perform some activities that generate FOD without knowing the impact. The procedure shall explain how these situations will be assessed upfront and a plan put in place to address FOD risks.

An example of FOD Training is available in the download section.

FOD Risk Analysis

The FOD Risk Analysis is becoming the main audited area in recent years. It relates to the risk-based approach promoted by the AS9100 as well as it gives confidence in the relevancy and the holistic approach of the FOD prevention program.

A quick look to this analysis will immediately hint if the risks where thoroughly considered, if it is a living document and have an overview of the actions taken at plant level.

There is no specific tool recommended by AS9164 or IAQG. But FMEA or any other risk-based analysis tool will work.

Leadership involvement and performance measurement

In today’s industry, most of the quality tools such as 8D, FMEA are widely adopted and therefore leadership will likely not have to advocate or promote its usage. For FOD (and maybe 5S), leadership involvement is highly recommended to succeed in the implementation of the FOD Prevention Program.

There isn’t a one-fit-all set of FOD rules that is common to all the aerospace industry. Each product is different and what can be considered a FOD in a plant can be acceptable in another. Therefore leadership involvement will be required to set the bar of expectations and make the right decision to have a fair and sustainable FOD prevention program. All flow-down rules will be a baseline (specifications, requirements) then the “implicit” or “hidden” requirements will be assessed in a pragmatic way.

Management shall allocate and empower a person in charge of the FOD prevention program that will act as a window person. The management shall remain open to escalation in case of disagreements with the decision of the person in charge.

In the first years, the management will need lot of patience to build a common ground of understanding by considering the different questions that will be raised :

• • • A drop of water from the roof
    • Pest or animals entering the shopfloor (bees, insects, cats, birds, etc)
    • Forklift required for yearly maintenance emitting gases
    • A drop of oil from a forklift
    • Is aerosol paint allowed in the shop floor ?
    • Allowing or forbidding personal objects (watches, earrings, bracelets)
    • Is high relative humidity considered FOD
    • Is hand sweat FOD
    • Are long hairs allowed or shall they be covered or just attached
    • Short sleeves that can make the skin touch the part
    • Greasing from maintenance
    • Is wood an acceptable contact material on which you can put parts? Polyethylene plastic? Rubber? Aluminum? Cardboard? Kraft Paper?

Many unique questions that you should acknowledge otherwise employees will stop raising them and the system will die. The good news is creativity has a limit and after one or two years (hopefully) you will have a well-populated database (the landing point is the risk analysis) with all the FOD risks, their score, and recommendations/disposition.

Regarding performance measurement, there are different ways of performing it. The baseline shall be the internal audit procedure at least on a yearly basis. FOD prevention program shall be audited as part of the process to which it belongs (e.g.: Quality Assurance, Operations, EHS, …). The internal audit results shall be reported in the Management Review with an action plan in case improvements are required. These 2 landing points are a minimum that can answer this requirement especially if you are starting from scratch and you would like a gradual implementation.

Additional KPIs can be implemented but I kept those for the next section of Level-2 or even Level-3.

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LEVEL 2: Don’t wait long

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In this section, we will share additional activities that can be considered to strengthen the FOD prevention program.

FOD Awareness Leaflet

The FOD prevention program implies ownership from all employees but what about contractors, suppliers, and visitors that intervene occasionally without being full-time employees?

In the case of sub-contracted activities (e.g.: repairs, construction, refurbishment, maintenance, new machines installation) the primary responsibility remains with the owner of these activities who is responsible for the risk analysis and mitigation plan. Still, with all the goodwill from the employees, they will not stay all the time with the contractors and the FOD awareness leaflet is a tool that can be deployed to engage suppliers and sub-contractors in the FOD rules and expectations. The leaflet can be a hard copy or an electronic presentation that is shared as onboarding either by security guards, EHS, or the host of the visitors.

Some companies have an electronic kiosk that displays a video, short questions, and prints a receipt that the questionnaire was properly answered which is valid for one year.

In the FOD prevention program, you will find a template that can be adapted to your needs and requirements.

FOD Gemba Walk

The FOD Gemba Walk is a good activity to demonstrate the leadership involvement in the FOD prevention program.

“Quality from within” or “Quality with ownership” is based on the self-awareness of the leaders (whether they are managers, group leaders, or team members) to allow them to drive improvements. The FOD Gemba Walk is an example of such a mindset where the leadership team goes to Gemba (the real place) to understand the current situation and promote issues that maybe everyone got used to it.

To make it a success, block early in advance the agendas of the leadership team at an agreed frequency (e.g.: monthly, quarterly) and define an agenda for the FOD Gemba Walk. You do not need to review the complete shopfloor rather allow the leadership team to stay connected with the reality of the Gemba and allow them to appreciate if the FOD program is at the right level or needs additional focus. I do not advise organizing this walk on an ad-hoc basis as management may not be available when FOD issues happen (unless they are critical), rather, it is better to have a routine established at a certain frequency.

Practically, the person in charge (PIC) of the FOD prevention program organizes the FOD Gemba Walk. The leadership team walks onto the shopfloor and the PIC shares recent issues, struggles, or improvements to allow discussions. After the Gemba Walk, the PIC shares the key decisions and discussed points.

There will immediate return on investment by having the leadership support or guidance on the current issues but in the long term you gain the leadership team ownership and awareness about the FOD prevention program. They are the sponsors of such a journey and having them “lead by example” is in itself a great accomplishment.

FOD Bulletin

The purpose of a FOD Bulletin or Newsletter is to share within the organization recent news related to FOD :

• • • Customer claims (FOD)
    • Internal defects or scrap (Corrective)
    • Near misses (Preventative)
    • Potential risks and actions to address them (Preventative)
    • KPIs

The FOD Bulletin can be a newsletter published in a defined frequency or an ad-hoc communication that is shared based on needs. Your audience (customers, auditors, …) is not looking for a specific format or template but rather for a piece of evidence that internal communication is happening and that the employees are aware of FOD issues and the actions to address them. Therefore the focus shall be on establishing a communication routine and regularly “recharging” the energy of the prevention program through close communication.

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LEVEL 3: Nice to have

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FOD Advanced KPIs

Establishing a FOD KPI is a must-have requirement that was shared in previous chapters. This can be a simple KPI such as scrap rate related to FOD, external rejects due to FOD (in value, ppm or count) or housekeeping scores. This is enough to satisfy the primary expectations of AS9164 and customer standards. To go beyond the average expectations, a nice-to-have approach is to further enhance the FOD KPIs to drive improvement and go beyond only numbers reported at a frequency.

A first viewpoint is to consider process KPIs besides the result KPIs. Process KPI may be the execution percentage of FOD walks, FOD audits, 5S/Housekeeping audits, OTD of FOD Bulletin, OTD of FOD RCCA, etc.

The second viewpoint is to have a holistic approach to result KPIs by sharing multiple KPIs or developing an aggregated score/index that gives different weights to the FOD incidents based on their criticality or occurrence ratio :

Another breakdown point is to provide FOD results per workshop, per process type, or per machine. All these ideas are just proposals and they shall be considered in line with your organization’s context. Developing such KPIs will give additional confidence that the FOD prevention program is well-tracked and that the different incidents are addressed based on their criticality.

Exceptions Management

FOD Annual Walk

To get started, you can download our procedure for free by following [this link].

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