5s - Housekeeping and Pharma / Devices

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

Clean the work area

Standards

Establish the rules and 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:

Areas of Focus

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

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:

Set tag criteria based on:

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 discard or store elsewhere

Used Occasionally

Weekly

Tag then store nearby

Used Frequently

Daily or Hourly

Store near place of use

Benefits of Sort

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

Shine

Shine Implies The Following:

Cleaning Approach

Shine involves the following approach to cleaning:

Benefits of Clean Workplace

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.

    Implementation - Tips for Success

  • Everyone must contribute
  • Keep an open mind
  • Focus on Improvement don't blame
  • Start with a pilot area, then roll out to other areas
  • Make 5S  ‘the way we do things’
  • How to Make 5S Work

  • Make 5S a regular agenda item at meetings
  • Install Problem/Action boards in the workplace
  • Set deadlines and responsibilities
  • Follow up actions
  • Take before and after photos
  • Communicate and celebrate successes
  • Manage the holding area
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