Needle Control and Metal Detection That Passes Audit

One needle out, one needle in

Issue replacement needles only against the return of all fragments of the broken one, taped to the log sheet in the position they were found. Where a fragment is missing, the garment and the surrounding work in progress are quarantined until it is located or the pieces pass detection individually.

• Named custodian per floor, with a locked needle store
• Broken-needle log with all fragments taped and dated
• No loose needles at machines; scissors and cutters tethered
• Monthly reconciliation of needles issued, returned and held

Verify the detector, every shift

A metal detector is only evidence if its sensitivity was proven before and after the batch. Run ferrous, non-ferrous and stainless test cards at the start of the shift, after any stoppage and at the end, and log the results with the operator's name. Sensitivity drifts with temperature and belt wear, and an unverified pass covers nothing.

Define the failure rule in advance: if the end-of-shift check fails, every garment since the last successful check is re-scanned. Without that rule written down, the decision gets made under shipping pressure.

Quarantine has to be physical

A rejected garment needs a locked location, a numbered tag and a disposition record. Rejects held in an open trolley beside the detector are the most common audit finding in this area, because nothing prevents them from re-entering the flow.

The records an auditor will ask for

Expect requests for the broken-needle log, the detector verification log, the calibration certificate, the training record for handlers, and the reject disposition file. All five should be current on the day of the request — a programme reconstructed the night before is visible from the handwriting.