How To Host A FOD Awareness Week

Increase FOD Awareness in only 5 days

Hosting a FOD Awareness Week is a week-long schedule of events targeted to get your factory workforce involved and to increase their knowledge of your FOD Prevention Program.

Plan awareness week activities and advertise well in advance to ensure success. Prizes and materials may have to be ordered, schedules set, and arrangements made for guests or special equipment. Determine a grand prize and obtain a picture for promotion.

Suggested Resources

Check out our articles on How to Prevent FOD at Your Airport or How to Set Up a FOD Program for more great ideas.

Advertisements for the upcoming FOD awareness week can be posted on flyers, bulletin boards, or announcements at meetings. You can also announce on the site newspaper, post on the company intranet, or by mass email broadcasts.

To better understand the scope of this activity we provide the following awareness week ideas and preparations. Give every worker who attends a ticket for a prize drawing and a small token (key chain with FOD logo, product photo, free drink, etc.).

Sample Schedule of Events For An Aerospace Factory

■        MONDAY: Invite pilots to provide their real-life experiences during a “Lunch & Learn” in the Cafeteria. Let them explain the situations in which they’ve experienced FOD issues and what it means to the operation

■        TUESDAY: Borescope Equipment Display In Break Area. Set-up borescope on a large table with a box divided into partitions to simulate inspecting the innards of an aircraft. If your borescope has retrieval capability, place a fastener or other piece of debris inside the box for demonstration.

■        WEDNESDAY: Tool Control Display In Main LobbyDisplay proper tool marking, toolbox arrangement, and missing item reporting procedures. Invite a tool vendor as a guest to show FOD control tools.

■        THURSDAY: Hardware Control Display In Production AreaShow “Clean-As-You-Go” techniques. Show the use of pneumatic vacuums and extension tubes, debris grabbers, and inspection tools and techniques. Show proper use of tote trays and shop aids.

■        FRIDAY: Product Protection Display In FOD Office. Display all the types of Product Protection caps, plugs, and dispensers used at your facility. Also, remind workers of one-use-only caps applied to hydraulic lines and fittings.

Everyday FOD Awareness Week Activity Ideas

■        FOD Poster Contest

Provide poster contest entry forms. Entries will be judged, and the winner(s) will have their design idea professionally drawn and printed on posters for display around the facility. Give applicants an additional week after the last day of FOD Awareness Week to get their ideas submitted. All entrants will be placed in the drawing for a prize, and the winners receive a special prize (T-shirt, cap or jacket).

■        Guess The Number of FOD Items in the Jar

Collect and save FOD items retrieved throughout the year from daily audits and place them in a jar. Count the pieces and have participants guess the number. This is an excellent awareness tool, as most workers never get to see everything that is found in FOD inspections. All applicants are entered into the prize drawing, and winner(s) receive a T-shirt or cap with the FOD logo.

■        FOD Awareness Test

Develop a FOD quiz of 10 to 15 questions with multiple choice answers derived directly from the FOD SOP or procedure. Place the question sheets and copies of the SOP with a drop box for responses. Collect responses daily to avoid the box becoming full. All responses are entered into the prize drawing, and those with all FOD quiz questions answered correctly get an inspection mirror for their toolbox.

■        FOD Crossword Puzzle

Develop a crossword puzzle with FOD terms. Provide Down and Across questions for the puzzle. Place puzzle forms and a drop box in a central location. All responses are entered in the prize drawing, and employees who submit correct answers get a FOD control orange-colored mini screwdriver.

For the prize drawings, select a few items of $20 to $30 value for winners. Examples include: a model of the product, pizza dinner for two, shopping tour of the company store. For the grand prize drawing, consider a set of FOD Control tools, an airplane ride (can be arranged very inexpensively through your local Aero Club), or a visit to a nearby amusement park.

Teamwork

Take a survey to find out what prizes your group would find most desirable. Be sure to advertise the prizes when promoting FOD Awareness Week to get the interest level up and assure participation.

These are some FOD awareness week ideas. Keep an open mind about what activities would be interesting, fun, and also elevate FOD awareness but not too costly in man-hours or budget. Attempt to compute the annual FOD costs your site suffers — not only in damaged components — but for the costs of FOD related rework, scrap, and repair as justification for some of the costs involved in funding the awareness week.