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"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 outdoors storage areas
  • Hospitals and health care facilities

"5S" uses five words:
  • "Sort"
  • "Set in Order"
  • "Shine"
  • "Standardize"
  • "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 centralized 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


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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
5S-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 standardized

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.
Standardize
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.
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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 Standardize. 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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