In last week’s blog, we learned that 5S is the foundation for a disciplined approach to the workplace. 5S provides many benefits including improved quality, employee empowerment and morale, safety and efficiency improvements.
How to implement 5S at your facility?
First step is to Sort the items that are needed from those that are not needed in the workspace. Create a space for items to be disposed (quarantine or scrap area). Common method is red-tagging items for disposal to make them easy to identify. Typical criteria used to sort items include:
- Frequency of Use
- Is item used hourly or daily? Store item at the workspace.
- Used weekly? Store near the workspace.
- Used Monthly or less than once per month? Store a more distant location.
- Used once a year or less? Dispose of item.
- Condition
- Is item broken or damaged? If so, dispose
- Is it worth fixing?
- Applicability
- Is item at all useful?
- Is it really needed to perform my job function?
- Can other team member use the item? Use a cross-functional team to evaluate keep/dispose status of items.
Straightening the workspace is the second step. The goal is to create “a place for everything and everything in its place”, everything has a clearly designated name and place to eliminate need to look for items. The goal is to design a quick retrieval and storage system. The key to Straightening is visual management Common tools used in Straightening include:
- Shadow board
- Organized floor space, defined areas outlined with tape and labeled
- Labeled shelves / racks
- Signs / Flags labeling aisles, for example in a warehouse or supermarket
Once the work area has been sorted and straightened, the area is Shined (cleaned) to create a bright productive work environment. The two keys to Shine are assigned individual cleaning responsibilities and frequency of cleaning activities. This ensures cleaning takes place as required by specified individuals – there is not confusion around who should do it and when. Time may be set aside at the beginning or end of shift to sweep around the work area. Wipe down of work station between product batches may be required to prevent cross-contamination. Shine not only positively impacts employee morale, but also improves product quality!
Standardization refers to visual management and 5-S standardization. It is often referred to as the “5S Job Cycle” because it establishes periodic revisit to the 5S activities for each area. The manner in which 5S activities are carried is also standardized. For example, red tag is used the same way across the company, use of a common checklist for 5S audits, common cleaning practices. Standardization is critical to the last 5S step – Sustain.
Sustain is the individual discipline in maintaining an organized workplace, and the culture in the company to facilitate and encourage the discipline. How can 5S be sustained? Build regular 5S audits into your standard operating procedures. Integrate 5S maintenance into annual performance assessments. Create a rewards system or contests to encourage participation in 5S activities and maintenance.
Safety in the workplace for the employee must be considered and evaluated each step of the way in 5S. In the Sort stage, consider using a different color tag to highlight environmental, health and/or safety (EHS) concerns. Through straightening and shine, resolve the highlighted EHS issues from Sort. Incorporate EHS into the standard 5S audits to ensure continuous review and improvement of safety in the workplace. Include safety metrics in communications, into annual performance assessments and in rewards systems in the company. Creating a culture of safety is an integral part of the Lean and 5S culture.
