This study introduces a framework for assessing poka-yoke devices (PD), encompassing both those
designed for quality control (referred to as quality PD) and those designed to control hazards to health and
safety at work (referred to as safety PD). The framework assesses the processes of the design, operation
and maintenance of PD, rather than the outcomes of these processes. The development of the framework
involved three stages: (a) defining 15 attributes of PD, identifying those that provide fail-safe characteristics
and those that inform best practices in design, implementation and maintenance; (b) defining
what the set of evidence and what the sources of evidence should be for assessing the existence of each
attribute; the sources include documents, interviews, observations and a meeting to discuss the results
of the assessment with company representatives; and (c) defining a scoring system to express the results
of the assessment. The application of the framework is illustrated by means of assessing four PD; two of
them being concerned with quality and two with safety.