How practically implement 5S in workplace

5S is one of the tools ( tool ) in Lean Six Sigma practices that help us organize and arrange the work area. The term 5S itself comes from the abbreviation of five Japanese words: Seiri, Seiton, Seiso, Seiketsu , and Shitsuke .

The 5S philosophy is a simple approach to improving visual control in the work area, improving process visibility, improving potential problem solving , and usually runs alongside safety improvement practices. The 5S concept is also highly suite for application in both manufacturing and service environments.

What is 5S?

5S can be understood through various terms, including:

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  HOUSEKEEPING

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      Separating the necessary and unnecessary items, removing the unnecessary from the work area.
   
   Unnecessary items can cause dust, fall apart, break down, disappear, obstruct view, cover problems, create movement wastes (because employee movement is hamper) and may cause accidents such as falling or others.

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  ORGANIZING WORK AREA

1. Create workstation structures in such a way that items can be reach and found quickly and easily.
   
   Each item must have a special place, ie a standard storage location known to everyone. Remember the old saying: "A place for everything, and everything in its place" . Avoid putting things on the floor, which make the floor difficult to clean and hamper the movement of employees. The rule is: "There can be nothing on the floor except feet!"

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  CLEANING

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   Clean, brush, and sweep the work area regularly. This is the first step in running Total Productive Maintenance (TPM). The discipline in the process will be strengthen by a clean working area, which will send a clear message to employees that management is very concern about working conditions, and there are definite ways of completing each job.

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  CLEANLINESS

  
  
  If you remain in a ready state, then you will not have to prepare anything else. Clean continuously, not only at the end of shift or weekends only. If the work area is clean continuously, you will be spare the conflict at the turn of the shift with the main issue of 'who made and left the area in a mess'. Set the person in charge of floor cleanliness in every square meter of work area, so there will be no "gray areas" that escape the attention.

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  DISCIPLINE

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   Good housekeeping and maintenance of the work area requires consistent attention and effort that is not small. It requires a boost from management every day (every hour). Housekeeping practices can not run easily and stop.

There are rules that must be communicate and everyone should be responsible for compliance with standard work rules and practices. If you establish this discipline, it will incite a drive to comply with standardize process methods and the quality will increase.

Conclusion

5S is a simple but powerful tool to reduce the level of disturbance in the work area. 5S will positively affect the visibility of process, safety, and performance of employees. In many cases, 5S can help reduce the creation of defective products due to low levels of cleanliness, and increase throughput by reducing the time employees spend looking for equipment and other tools. Implementing 5S in the process will encourage quick-win for each process.