The commanding officer of an activity has final responsibility for the quality of issued ordnance material. Weapons and ordnance personnel are responsible for ensuring the quality of ordnance material to be issued and for maintaining control of ordnance material throughout activity operations. The quality assurance organization within a command is responsible for providing assurance that the necessary controls are established and maintained and that ordnance material being issued meets specified quality requirements.

A quality assurance organizational element responsible for performing quality assurance functions on ordnance material is required at each activity. This quality assurance element must be established at a level that provides the organizational independence necessary to achieve full implementation of quality assurance procedures. Each activity must plan, establish, staff, and maintain the ordnance quality assurance organization commensurate with local work load. The head of quality assurance serves as the commanding officer's representative and reports directly to the CO.

At ordnance-oriented activities, such as naval magazines and naval ordnance facilities or naval stations, the ordnance quality assurance organization should be established as a division within the weapons/ordnance office. Another alternative at these types of activities is to include the ordnance quality assurance organization as a division within the QA department of the activity, along with quality assurance organizations for other programs.

Each division within the QA department must be divided into branches as necessary to perform the required QA functions effectively.

The head of an ordnance QA organization ashore may be military or civilian. However, it is essential that this person be well-qualified in ordnance QA procedures, methods, and techniques, in addition to being knowledgeable in the technical aspects of the specific ordnance material being processed. In any event, the individual must have the ability to plan and manage the ordnance quality assurance functions and train subordinate personnel as required. Collateral nonquality assurance functions assigned to the ordnance QA organization should be kept to a minimum. This is necessary to avoid detracting from the essential ordnance QA functions. Subordinate personnel must also have a good working knowledge of both the technical aspects of the material and ordnance QA procedures.

In some cases, because of budgetary, manpower, or other limitations, it may not be possible to establish a separate quality organization. In this case, qualified personnel from within the activity must be selected and trained to perform the QA functions. Such personnel should be permitted to perform the assigned QA functions without undue external pressure, the bias of inspecting their own work, and being held responsible for delays in production.

The weapons department should have an ordnance indoctrination/training program. The QA organization should provide the materials for the quality assurance segment of the indoctrination/training. The QA segment of the indoctrination maybe accomplished by

QA personnel or through normal activity training program procedures.

A list of military and civilian personnel whose work assignments may directly affect the quality of ordnance material must be compiled and the personnel scheduled into the indoctrination/training program. New personnel destined to perform work related to ordnance material should be scheduled into the indoctrination/ training program as they arrive on station. Weapons supervisory personnel and QA personnel must be constantly alert to the need for refresher training or other specific ordnance-related training requirements as evidenced by the quality of work performed. Weapons supervisors will ensure that the necessary on-the-job training (OJT) or classroom training is provided before assigning personnel to new jobs related to ordnance material processing. Records of OJT and classroom training for weapons personnel must be prepared and maintained.

The head of the QA organization will schedule all personnel who will be assigned to perform QA functions into training in the content and application of the quality assurance procedures.

Each supervisor will provide OJT through rotational work assignments to provide increased range and depth to the capability of QA personnel. These periods of OJT should be of a sufficient duration to ensure that the trainee is fully qualified to perform his or her duties in that area of assignment.

CALIBRATION OF TEST AND MEASURING EQUIPMENT

QA must ensure that only currently calibrated test and measuring equipment is used to record or generate quantitative measurements or data during maintenance actions. Each QA inspector should verify that calibration labels and tags are affixed to all test and measuring equipment within his or her work area. The labels and tags must indicate that the equipment is in an "in-calibration" status or does not require calibration. Any discrepancies noted should be documented.

QA personnel should perform daily monitoring within each work area to ensure that only those gauges authorized for use by the ordnance work instructions are being used or are available for use by weapons personnel and that the gauges display current evidence of calibration. During these daily monitoring actions, QA should verify that all activity organizational elements properly use, handle, and stow these gauges.

QUALITY DEFICIENCY REPORTING

Information feedback is needed for corrective action purposes when deficiencies are found in material received as serviceable (RFI) from other activities or from the supply system. NAVMATINST 4855.8 establishes a DoD system for reporting quality deficiency data and provides the reporting procedures and forms for this purpose.

Quality deficiency reports are submitted to a screening point within the activity originating the report. Here, the responsible action point (activity responsible for resolution of the deficiency) is determined and the report is forwarded to that action point. Complete instructions on quality deficiency reporting are contained in NAVMATINST 4855.8. Only Category I reports will be addressed in this text.

A Category I report is submitted when a deficiency is found that might affect life or limb of personnel or impair the combat capabilities of the using organization or individual. Deficiencies that affect an operational capability to the extent that accomplishment of the mission is jeopardized are included in Category I.

Category I reports must be submitted by message. When urgency dictates, reports may first be transmitted by the most expeditious means available (e.g., telephone or local visits). Oral communications must be confirmed by a message. Information copies of Category I reports may be submitted to any activity considered necessary to alert them to the problem.

The originator of the Category I report must forward the report to the designated screening point within 24 hours after discovery of the deficiency. The report must be screened for completeness and accuracy and forwarded to the appropriate action point within 48 hours after receipt. The component or activity responsible for action must acknowledge receipt of each report to the screening activity within 24 hours.