5s - Housekeeping

What Is 5S?

5S is a system which was developed in Japan to establish basic discipline and order in the workplace. It creates an effective work environment that is an essential foundation for other Best Practices to prosper.

5S involves creating an organised workplace using the following 5 steps:

*Sort*	-	Sorting & removing unnecessary items
*Set in Order*	-	A place for everything and everything in its place
*Shine*	-	Cleaning the work area
*Standards*	-	Establishing the rules & standards
*Sustain*	-	Maintaining the standards in a disciplined way

Sort

“Only what is needed, in the amounts it is needed, when it is needed!”

There are three important points in this definition:

What is needed – usefulness

How much is needed – quantity

When it is needed – frequency

Areas of Focus

Sort focuses on all types of material and equipment in the work area. These fall in the following categories:

Inventory – Raw materials, WIP, finished goods, etc

Production tools & Equipment – Jigs, dies, consumables, etc

Maintenance Tools & Equipment – Spare parts, maintenance tools, etc

Information – Work Instructions, manuals, notice boards, etc

General Equipment – Furniture, cleaning equipment, etc

The Sort Exercise (Tag)

Sort involves carrying out a cleaning up exercise, often called a red tag exercise. The cleaning up exercise involves the following steps:

Organise a team / or teams

Identify the target area / or area

Assign a holding area for tagged items

Set tag criteria based on:

Usefulness

Frequency of use

Quantity required

Attach tags as appropriate

Evaluate tagged items

Document results

Example of Tag Criteria

Usefulness	Frequency of Use		Action
Not Useful			Discard
Doubtful			Tag then discard or store elsewhere
Useful	Used Rarely	Annually or Monthly	Tag, then store elsewhere
	Used Occasionally	Weekly	Store near area
	Used Frequently	Daily or Hourly	Store near place of use

Benefits of Sort

Allows focus on necessary items

Eliminates clutter – ‘see the wood for the trees’

Allows focus on necessary items

Improves material movement.

Improves safety

Creates more space

Can help ensure that obsolete items are not used

Disposal can raise revenue

Generates enthusiasm for change as you have a visible outcome

Set In Order

This means having a dedicated place for everything and having everything arranged so that it is easy to find, easy to remove and return.

Benefits of Set in Order

Saves time finding items

Improved space utilisation

Reduces safety hazards

Reduces loss and damage of tools and materials

Improve inventory management

Improves productivity

Shine

Shine Implies The Following:

Equipment free of product spillage, lubricants or dirt and reduce contamination

Areas outside the workplace clean & tidy e.g. office areas, amenities

Operators become more involved in the maintenance and care of equipment

Cleaning Approach

Shine involves the following approach to cleaning:

Perform initial clean of area

Introduce cleaning schedules and audits

Eliminate sources of contamination

Make cleaning easier:

Provide cleaning tools
Improve access for cleaning under machines, etc
Paint floors, walls, and other surfaces

Benefits of Clean Workplace

Improved Staff morale

Pride in the workplace

Spot problems earlier:

Cleaning with meaning
Leaks, etc immediately obvious
Fewer safety, quality and environmental problems

Standards

Standards help everyone to clearly understand what the acceptable standard is and points out abnormalities.

To be effective, standards should be:

Visual

Clearly understandable

Pointing out abnormalities

Continuously improved

Sustain

It is important to maintain standards over a long period of time and to ensure that the new behaviour we have learnt and practised in the first three S’s will not be forgotten and allowed to disappear.

How to Sustain 5S

Create & display standards

Monitor compliance using audits

Monitor audit results

Monitor follow up using action plans

Review progress at meetings

Show management commitment, e.g. Manage By Walkabouts, acknowledge improvements

5S Audits

5S Audits should be conducted regularly by the process team with results published. These audits should not be seen as punitive measures but rather be seen as part of the continuous improvement process. The audit should identify areas for improvements and suggestions as to how to improve.