Lost, damaged, and retired are not interchangeable labels. A lost gage creates uncertainty about location and possible use. A damaged gage creates uncertainty about measurement validity. A retired gage has a deliberate permanent disposition. Each requires different actions while preserving the same permanent identity and history.
Why lost, damaged, and retired need separate controls
- Lost: location is unknown
- Damaged: condition or suitability is uncertain
- Search, containment, technical review, or repair remains open
- The gage may later return to a controlled state
- Retired: active use has ended by authorized decision
- Normal reminders and scheduling stop
- Physical disposal, return, or identification is controlled
- Identity and history remain retained
Changing lifecycle status should remove the gage from normal active work without erasing evidence that it existed, where it was used, or why it left service.
How to control a lost gage
- 1Set status to Lost
Remove the item from available-use views and alert the owner, department, and quality coordinator.
- 2Record last known facts
Capture last known location, custodian, date, calibration status, and recent jobs or areas where it may have been used.
- 3Run a defined search
Check storage, production, inspection, external providers, tool rooms, issued kits, and transfer records.
- 4Assess possible use
Determine whether the gage could have been used without control while missing and whether records require review.
- 5Decide replacement or closure
Authorize continued search, replacement, recovery inspection, or eventual retirement according to procedure.
If the gage is found, do not automatically set it Active. Inspect condition, confirm identity and status, evaluate storage or handling, and calibrate or verify before use when required.
How to control a damaged gage
- Identify and remove the gage from normal use immediately.
- Preserve the observed condition with notes or photographs where appropriate.
- Record who found the damage, when, where, and during which activity.
- Identify the last known acceptable point and possible use window.
- Evaluate whether damage could affect prior measurement results.
- Choose inspection, repair, calibration, limited use, downgrade, or retirement through authorized review.
- Require satisfactory evidence before returning to Active status.
A successful as-left result can support future use. It does not by itself resolve the potential effect of damage on measurements made before the issue was discovered.
How to retire a gage cleanly
- 1Approve the retirement reason
Record obsolescence, irreparable damage, replacement, changed process, ownership return, or another authorized basis.
- 2Confirm open work is closed
Resolve active calibration, overdue, impact-review, repair, or certificate actions before final disposition.
- 3Set a permanent lifecycle status
Remove the item from active scheduling while preserving the master record and history.
- 4Control the physical item
Dispose, return, destroy, archive, or mark it so it cannot re-enter use unintentionally.
- 5Record replacement relationship
When a new gage replaces it, assign a new Gage ID and link the records without reusing identity.
- 6Retain required evidence
Keep retirement approval, date, disposition, certificates, and prior history according to retention rules.
Decide when prior-use impact needs review
Review when uncontrolled access or use may have occurred, or when the last known location creates product or process uncertainty
Review when the condition could have changed measurements since the last known acceptable point
Review when retirement follows failure, damage, overdue status, or another condition that could affect earlier decisions
Use your approved exception and out-of-tolerance processes to define the population, evidence, technical conclusion, communication, and authorization. “No impact” should include a documented basis.
Lifecycle exception records to retain
- Permanent Gage ID and status-change date.
- Person reporting, owner, department, and last known location.
- Condition, search evidence, last known acceptable point, and possible-use window.
- Containment and physical control actions.
- Technical or prior-use impact assessment where required.
- Repair, verification, calibration, restriction, replacement, or retirement decision.
- Approver, completion date, final location or disposition, and supporting documents.