A World Class Working Environment

Written by Billy Blakeman

What does ‘5S’ stand for?

Sort

Set in Order

Standardise

Shine

Sustain

Origins

‘5S’ is a Workplace Organisation Methodology that originated in Japan. Most large Japanese companies would work to 5S including the major automobile and telecomms manufacturers.

The methodology was created to drive improvements in Efficiency and Effectiveness.

Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke

Why should we implement it?

A 5s environment is cleaner, tidier and most importantly safer.

Implementing 5s should increase productivity, reduce errors and help to facilitate a ‘lean’ working environment.

Competitive advantage against none-5s organisations.

Laboratories and Test Rooms should be ‘World Class’ environments. Too often, we see £100k + equipment covered in and surrounded by junk!

A summary of the benefits;

Clean & tidy environment

Lowers safety risk

Improves efficiency

Reduces ‘lost’ time

Visually beneficial (client visits)

Helps new employees

Effective & efficient work practises

Where can it be used?

5s is primarily thought of as a tool used in a workspace but it can also be applied to;

Processes

Production

Testing

R&D

Computer System

Examples of 5S

Office environment – Tidy desk, storage, floor area, display etc.

Process – Ensure correct information is visible, process times are met, de-personalise the environment.

Product – Reduce risk of returns due to damage, dirt, contamination, incorrect build.

R&D / Testing – Tidy, organised lab area, consistency, integrity of results, improved health & safety, protection of assets.

Computer System – Is the filing structure organised? Do we all know where everything is?

Making a start…..

1) Take a photograph of your desk and immediate working area.

2) Swap photos with a colleague.

3) What are your thoughts?

4) Keep the photo, you will need it later.

Stage 1 – Sort

Identify what is needed for a particular task, process or area.

Remove any unnecessary tools, equipment, files etc. from area.

Items needed can be much more easily accessed.

Stage 2 – Set in order

A place for everything & everything in its place.

Organise storage so most used items are nearest to hand.

Label all storage with contents & information.

Stage 3 – Shine

Daily cleaning and inspection.

Maintenance schedule.

Visual reporting.

Stage 4 – Standardise

Tasks & Processes should have a defined structure.

Documented Procedures & Work Instructions.

Ensures correct & efficient application.

Stage 5 – Sustain

Monitoring to ensure standards are maintained.

Review of metrics.

Continuous improvement.

Kaizen Events

What is Kaizen?

Intense focus by team for short period to identify & implement improvements.

A ‘Kaizen event’ can be carried out in an area over half a day.

5s Negativity

Some negativity very common.

Managers need to reinforce positive change.

Short term pain, long term gain.

5s Negativity In a perfect world, there would be a clear line between necessary & unnecessary detail. In some

situations, some personnel, some details, there will be an element of ‘this isn’t really necessary.’ Agreed. But, trying to construct a system that has a perfect line between what is a benefit and what is waste is impractical.

Ideal Avoiding Unnecessary Overlap avoids gaps

Daily Monitoring – Checklist & Signature

Printed form covering basic housekeeping signed by all staff each day.

<insert example form>

Team Audits

Staff should be trained to perform audits on other areas. Why?

a) To try and catch colleagues out and humiliate them?

b) To assist your colleagues for the common good of the organisation in line with continuous improvement?

Auditing to be performed to a set criteria, results logged and feedback provided. Subsequent audits should begin by checking previous non-conformances.

Percentage scores should be awarded and logged over time to highlight which areas may need assistance.

Continuous Improvement

5s should be considered a continual process, not a one-time or annual event.

Only by regular monitoring, recording of results and review of these results can we expect to improve.

Visual Display

<Insert example?>

Unsafe Occurrences – Find & Report

Safety is the key driver for 5s and at any one time, there will be unsafe situations, behaviors present in the working environment.

ALL staff are responsible for identifying such incidences and it is necessary to log and report these.

Why not just correct something & save time on the paperwork?

The unsafe situation may be the result of something that needs specialist attention.

Does correcting something ensure it won’t occur again?

Are you competent to make the occurrence safe?

Highlighting the problem across the company helps with preventative actions and ultimately leads to gains.

We can’t improve unless we have data to review.

An example….

After his local oil heater ceased to function, my immediate colleague identified the plug had suffered major heat damage and replaced the plug.

The following day, the appliance caught fire.

Had the problem been reported correctly, it would have been flagged that a qualified electrician needed to inspect the appliance.

Outline Implementation Plan

1) Training by Dept / Location.

2) Training needs to be delivered verbally with the aid of slides.

3) Monitoring is carried out in an area. Should begin within 30-days of the training.

ALL staff should have the mindset to look for Safety Observations.

An ‘Observation’ may be anything from an idea for an improvement to an emergency.

All observations need to logged via a system of control so that actions can be carried out and metrics can be analysed.

It is important that feedback is provided to the originator of all suggestions.

Continuous improvement applies but the ultimate aim is to create a safe working environment and so it is natural that observations decrease after an initial period.

That doesn’t mean that complacency should creep in!

In order to improve, we have to monitor our findings & performance.

Ideas for improving an area, process or product may not be linked to a safety observation. There needs to be a way that staff can suggest improvements.

Improvement suggestion form.

Area reporting.

Company metrics.

5S System Safety

Observations

Company

Efficiency!

Continuous

Improvement