Abstract:

Extensive research has already been done on visual inspection as well as on the effect of different factors on human inspection performance. However, a method should be developed to measure their inspection skill based on influencing factors. This study contributes to the literature by proposing a competency assessment model based on the influencing factors that can classify human labour into its respective skill levels. From the literature review, the influencing factors of visual inspection are listed and divided into five observed variables. A team of experts selected the significant factors with respect to the textile and clothing industry. The analytical hierarchy process is used to measure their respective weights so as to calculate the inspection performance in terms of a competency score. A numerical example is presented and the model proposed successfully determined the competency score, and inspectors are classified into their respective skill levels according to the well-defined cut-off values. This study enables organisations to classify available human labour into its skill levels and utilise them according to their capacity.