A quality control (QC) technician ensures that a product and its manufacturing process meet the quality and safety standards of a company. These technicians are typically in charge of ensuring that the manufacturing process runs smoothly and safely. They ensure that materials and manufacturing machinery are in good working order, as well as assisting in the training of production personnel in quality and safety procedures. A quality control technician is also in charge of ensuring that the workers follow the procedures that have been taught to them. When a quality control failure occurs, a quality control technician is usually responsible for ensuring that an unsafe product does not reach consumers either correcting the error or removing the product from the market.
Multiple tests may be performed during the manufacturing process to ensure that no errors occur. This type of technician inspects manufacturing materials and equipment prior to the start of the process, as well as conducting tests during the process to ensure everything is running smoothly. When workers catch a mistake early in the manufacturing process, they have more time to fix it, which saves time and money. Workers in quality control are also expected to observe production personnel to ensure that they are following procedures correctly. Following the completion of manufacturing, the QC technician inspects the final product to ensure that it meets quality standards.
A company will often have multiple quality control inspectors on a large production line who supervise specific segments of the production process. A safety technician is a quality control technician whose primary responsibility is to ensure the safety of the manufacturing process and the final product. A quality control engineer, on the other hand, is a worker who ensures that the process and its mechanical parts are designed, maintained, and repaired efficiently to ensure safe operation and a high-quality product. A product inspector examines the final product on the assembly line to ensure that it meets the company’s and government’s quality and safety standards.
A skilled hand at data recording is often required when performing the duties of a quality control technician. Data spreadsheets are used quality control personnel to determine how to best tweak the system for the highest level of quality and efficiency. These technicians typically have a math degree and are adept at entering data into spreadsheet programs.
Quality control is critical in the manufacturing industry because it ensures that products are safe and that no one is injured during the manufacturing process. For certain industries, such as food and children’s toys, many government agencies have established quality standards. Workers in quality control are a company’s line of defense against releasing a dangerously defective product or using a subpar manufacturing process. Injured customers or workers, contaminated products, or faulty product construction can all result from a quality control failure.