"5S" or "Lean 5S" is a method to promote a safer, cleaner, and better-organised workplace - often a factory, but the 5S method can be applied to almost any work environment:
Office space - from cubicles to mail rooms to library space
Computer or server rooms, including online files and folders as well as physical objects
Work bench areas
Warehouses, storage sheds and outdoor storage areas
Hospitals and health care facilities
"5S" uses five words:
"Sort"
"Set in Order"
"Shine"
"Standardise"
"Sustain" (sometimes "Sustained Discipline")
If an area can become messy, cluttered, disorganised, hazardous or dirty - 5S can improve it.
The 5S method is not a one-shot cleaning campaign. 5S leads to a new quality standard which results in sustained improvements. As well,
5S provides the methodology and discipline to live up to the new standards.
5S should spell the end to one-time cleanups and is a part of, and often the first step in Lean Manufacturing implementation.
It is possible to start a 5S program in just one department or area. This allows management to fine-tune the approach and adapt it to the specific workplace.
Running a pilot project also permits a group of employees to learn what to do and how to do it. For example, suppose a factory has a centralised team for equipment maintenance, but separate workers for various processes.
The maintenance team will be involved everywhere. They might be overwhelmed by an initial factory-wide project, but do well in one area at a time. Also, once they learn from the pilot project they will bring their new expertise
to each new area.
Sort
To sort or organise is the first stage of the 5S method. Sorting is a team activity.
Production and maintenance workers should carry this out together.
The goals of sorting are:
Remove unnecessary objects
Reduce waste
The basic tool is a red tag: tag the item, allow a month for someone to make a case for keeping that item, and discard the item after that month.
The additional tool is the 5S Sort List: a log to follow up every red tag.
Remove unnecessary objects
This phase should identify and eliminate things like a bin of parts that were rejected and will never be reworked; broken or "custom" tools - anything jerry-rigged from string and duct tape; obsolete spare parts, inventory,
and even documentation or binders.
If you don't need it: sell it or scrap it. If you need it but it is broken or hazardous: fix it properly.
Reduce waste
This identifies the hindrances, and goes beyond simple "waste material":
Do we lack work instructions that are available, accurate, and used?
Are there hazards: clutter; missing safety guards; electrical faults; broken steps on ladders?
What environmental hazards are we tolerating? Look for solids, liquids, gasses, and dust.
Are tools broken, missing or inadequate?
Are workbenches at the right height? Are chairs too low for some workers? Where have back injuries occurred?
Where has maintenance been neglected - whether for equipment or buildings?
Sort
The principle here is to keep things in their proper places. One guide to proper placement is to keep frequently-used items handy, and store other things where they can be found.
On a personal level, you might carry a pen in your pocket because you jot notes all day. You keep your winter coat in a closet at home during the summer. Another example is how you should arrange your kitchen. You probably
have cutlery sorted in one convenient drawer; the frequently-used pots and pans handy; but the once-a-year fondue set is tucked out of the way.
Set in Order
Set in Order the same concept, expressed for a workplace:
Keep tools near the place they are used
Don't make workers bend or stretch frequently
Store rarely-used items where they won't get in the way, but where they can be found easily
The only exception to "store rarely-used items" would be for safety gear. Hopefully you rarely need a fire extinguisher or eye- wash station - but when you need it, it should be handy.
Shine
This is the exception - the only one-time activity in the 5S method.
This stage has two goals:
Determine and gain agreement on the desired level of cleanliness
Learn how to make new routines so this will become standardised
Several questions help this stage to be more than just "polish until it shines for inspection":
This is the exception - the only one-time activity in the 5S method.
This stage has two goals:
How much cleanliness is required for safety, for ease of use, and to minimize equipment breakdown?
How clean should the environment be for comfort and morale?
How will cleanliness improve product quality?
While cleaning, do we notice maintenance issues that should be addressed?
This is also a team exercise. Clean and inspect one area at a time: equipment, work stations, and common areas. Take notes to guide future work. Finally, take photos of the "shiny clean" workplace to illustrate the new standard.
Standardise
Consider the sources of dirt: air-borne dust; sawdust or other dry powder from cutting operations; splatter from wet processes; or simple trash because there is no proper container.
The results include:
Maintenance for buildings or equipment, if these are sources of dirt
Improvements to processes - for example, adding a dust hood over a cutting area
A binder with instructions for cleaning each work area
A checklist for each cleanup period (daily, biweekly, or less frequently)
A list matching the people with their responsibilities
A practical target is to have all workers take five minutes every day to tidy up after themselves - including the time to complete and sign the checklists. By dividing the work among all the employees:
No-one has a huge burden
No-one seems unproductive
Morale improves because everyone has a common purpose
Supervisors should monitor compliance with Standardise. The checklists make this both important and achievable.
Sustain
Sustain is a concept that includes instilled discipline, self-discipline, common cultural values, and self-motivated practice to improve. You might think of: parents training their children to brush their teeth after each
meal; children then brushing regularly; expecting everyone to brush after meals; and (for a non-dental example) golfers continuing to practice putting, even though the stroke may seem easy to a beginner. This step requires
continued management support and communication.
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