When nonconforming items are found, which of the following actions should be taken first?

The fundamental principle for controlling nonconforming material is to prevent its unintended use or delivery. The first and most critical action upon discovery is to clearly identify the item(s) as nonconforming. This is typically done by applying a tag, label, or mark. This identification serves as an immediate visual control, alerting personnel to the item's status and preventing it from being moved, processed, or shipped accidentally. Following identification, the item is usually segregated. Only after these initial control steps are taken can further disposition activities, such as retesting, investigation, or returning to the supplier, be considered by an authorized body like a Material Review Board (MRB).

A. A Retest: Retesting is a disposition or investigatory action that may be taken after the item has been properly identified and segregated.

B. Destruction: This is a final disposition decision made after a thorough review; it is one of the last possible steps, not the first.

D. Return to supplier: This is also a final disposition action that occurs only after identification, segregation, and a formal decision-making process.

1. ISO 9001:2015

Quality management systems — Requirements.

Section 8.7.1: This clause states

"The organization shall ensure that outputs that do not conform to their requirements are identified and controlled to prevent their unintended use or delivery. The organization shall take appropriate action based on the nature of the nonconformity and its effect on the conformity of products and services. This shall also apply to nonconforming products and services detected after delivery of products

during or after the provision of services." The standard explicitly prioritizes identification as a primary control mechanism.

2. Gryna

F. M.

Chua

R. C. H.

& DeFeo

J. A. (2017). Juran's Quality Planning and Analysis: From Product Development Through Use (5th ed.). McGraw-Hill Education.

Chapter 6

Section: "Control of Nonconforming Product": The text describes the process for handling nonconformities

emphasizing that the first step is to ensure the product is "identified and segregated" to prevent inadvertent use. Subsequent steps involve review and disposition.

3. Pyzdek

T.

& Keller

P. A. (Eds.). (2018). The ASQ Certified Quality Engineer Handbook (4th ed.). ASQ Quality Press.

Chapter 21

"Control of Nonconforming Material": This chapter details the nonconformance control system

stating that upon detection

material must be "promptly identified" with a hold tag or other method. This identification is the trigger for all subsequent activities

including segregation and disposition by the Material Review Board (MRB).