Strategic approach to ensure process safety in apparel manufacturing industry using total productive maintenance (TPM)

Abstract

Accidents in the apparel manufacturing process lead to huge monetary and productivity loses. Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) can be identified as a rapidly spreading process improvement tool which is targeting zero defects, zero breakdowns and zero accidents. The aim of this research was to explore the suitability of TPM to ensure Process Safety (PS) in the apparel industry. An extensive literature review was carried out to identify process safety, process accidents and relationship between process safety TPM in the apparel industry. Accordingly set of accidents and existing Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practices were identified in the apparel manufacturing process. Both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used for the effective fulfilment of research aim. During first phase of data collection questionnaire survey and document survey were carried out with support of OSH experts to gather knowledge regarding process related accidents. Second phase of data collection was conducted using semi structured interviews and observations to identify TPM approaches used to enhance the PS in apparel manufacturing process. Findings of the study revealed that implementing TPM led to improve the process safety in the apparel manufacturing process up to some extent. But 90% of the identified TPM approaches focused to ensure the production and quality systems. Therefore, process safety was not adequately addressed by identified TPM approaches in both cases. Hence after implementing TPM, still there were accidents in the apparel manufacturing process. Since the research highlighted the importance of paying adequate attention to process safety when implementing TPM otherwise achieving zero accidents remains as a challenge.