AFME-MR-02 Common Root Cause Analysis Techniques
A practical, plain-English guide to finding the real cause of breakdowns, defects, foreign-body incidents and near misses in food manufacturing, so they are fixed once instead of again and again. It explains six of the most widely used root cause analysis techniques, when to use each one and how to carry it out step by step, and shows how to turn causes into strong, lasting actions that stand up to BRCGS, retailer and HSE scrutiny.
What is included
AFME-MR-02 Common Root Cause Analysis Techniques (26-page PDF guide) covering 5 Whys, Fishbone (Ishikawa) diagrams, Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA), Fault Tree Analysis (FTA), Pareto analysis (80/20 rule) and Change / Event Analysis. Each technique includes a plain-English explanation, step-by-step method, a worked food-factory example (filler motor trips, leaking tray-sealer packs, blast chiller fault tree, packing-line downtime Pareto) and do/avoid tips. Also included: a technique selection guide, 5W2H problem statement method, food-factory FMEA scoring scales, a hierarchy of corrective actions, and five ready-to-use templates: T1 RCA Record, T2 5 Whys Worksheet, T3 Fishbone Worksheet, T4 FMEA Worksheet and T5 Change Analysis Worksheet.
Who this resource is for
Engineering Managers, Heads of Engineering, Maintenance Managers, Reliability Engineers, Engineering Supervisors, Shift Leads, Planners, multi-skilled engineers and technicians, and apprentices working in food manufacturing.
How to use this resource
Start with section 2 to choose the right technique for the problem, and set up the investigation using section 3 (protect the evidence and write a clear problem statement). Record your site’s RCA triggers in the document control table, for example breakdown length, repeat failures, foreign-body incidents and audit findings. Copy templates T1 to T5 into your site document-control system and assign local document numbers. Adapt the FMEA scoring scales to your site and record any changes. Train supervisors and engineers using the worked examples, and review completed RCAs to check that actions were effective. The worked examples and figures are illustrative. AFME guidance does not replace legal duties, competent advice or the current published standards referred to.
