The 5S program refers to principles of personal and organizational well-being expressed in five Japanese words beginning with S. Each word represents an achievement in creating a safe and dignified place to work.
They are:
- Seiri: Throw away the unnecessary Seiton: Sort Seiso: Clean Seiketsu: Maintain by habit Shitsuke: Discipline and multiplication
When our work environment is disorganized and dirty, as a natural response we feel harassed, the environment is discouraging, we lose efficiency and enthusiasm for work is reduced.
Seiri - Eliminate the unnecessary
Seiri means removing unnecessary items. All those who are not essential to carry out the activity at hand.
At home or at work, in work or leisure activities, we often collect items, tools, boxes with products, supplies, papers, books, and other personal items. We assume that we will need them for our next job and we do not believe it is possible to carry out the activity without them.
Thus we create in small spaces large warehouses of disorder that reduce the useful space, impede circulation, reduce visibility and visual control of work, waste time in the search for elements that may or may not be present, and induce mistakes in the handling of materials or raw materials, all of which leads to a bad temper and on many occasions leads to accidents.
Seiri is simple: it consists of separating the things that work from those that do not work
Keep the useful and eliminate the rest.
SEIRI effects
- Prepare the work areas for the development of autonomous maintenance actions, since the leaks, leaks and contamination existing in the equipment can be easily appreciated and that are frequently hidden by unnecessary elements that are near the equipment.
Seiton - sort
Seiton is about organizing the items we have classified as necessary so that they can be easily found, used and returned to their place.
Once the unnecessary elements are eliminated, during the seiri, a place is defined where to locate those that we need frequently, identifying it to reduce the search time and facilitate the return after use. In summary:
A place for everything and everything in its place
SEITON Effects:
- Facilitates quick access to work items Avoids mistakes and risky actions Facilitates cleaning and maintenance Improves the presentation and aesthetics of the place Communicates responsibility and commitment to work Free up space. Makes the work environment pleasant. Allows immediate visual control. Reduces losses due to errors. Reduces the times used in each activity. Improves the avoidance of breakdowns. Care of the equipment. Improves personal productivity In a group or company improves overall productivity
Seiso - clean
Seiso means clean and ready for use. It involves inspecting the equipment during the cleaning process to identify small or large operating problems: leaks, breakdowns, failures or any type of defect or problem existing in the element. Many times it identifies unserviceable elements, which must be replaced, and many other times it induces them to be sent for repair.
Seiso Requires identification of sources of dirt, contamination or defects in order to eliminate them. Makes the cleaning process effective and the work of the person involved efficient.
Seiso is more than cleaning:
Cleaning is inspection
SEISO Effects:
- It increases the useful life of the equipment. It improves the physical and mental well-being of the worker. It allows easy and timely identification of faults Improves efficiency Reduces waste due to malfunctions Improves the appearance of products Avoid losses due to dirt and contamination
Seiketsu - Hold
Seiketsu is to maintain the achievements made with the implementation of the first three "S". If discarding, sorting and cleaning are not done continuously, the place will revert to its old state.
And any custom is part of a group culture. It's nice to receive an item in good condition and satisfying to return it the same. It is pleasant to find a pleasant and pleasant place to leave it in the same way: it even causes you to return.
The opposite is aggressive, annoying. Although it allows a message that is the key to seiketsu:
Leave things the same or better than before using them
SEIKETSU Effects
- Maintain a stimulating work environment that fills us with enthusiasm and leads us to efficiency. Reinforce personal satisfaction with the workplace Prepare people to take on greater challenges Increase personal and organizational productivity
Shitsuke - Habit and multiplication
Shitsuke is the habit gained over time. The habit of improving the personal environment by applying the 5S program. Shitsuke involves developing the strength of self-control, taking the personal future in one's own hands.
Shitsuke is the mute example of the kind environment itself, it is the best consideration towards the close people, who can feel the comfort, the kindness and the attention that is given to them.
Shitsuke is the reflection on the different aspects of personal life, the application of the 5S to the emotional environment and the use of time to ensure that the people we love feel respect, comfort, kindness, attention and warmth with the they are considered.
My life in my hands
SHITSUKE Effects
- Improves respect for your own self and for others. Creates sensitivity, respect and care towards the personal environment and the collective environment It allows to take ownership of the place It allows to identify with the place It makes the place attractive It makes it pleasant to arrive or to return Renew personal satisfaction every day
Other dimensions of the five S
The power of the 5S program lies in the ease of executing and understanding it, which is why it is a wonderful awareness tool towards comprehensive quality.
But beyond the beginning, the 5S program allows actions and reflections on other concepts of life. Each person can do theirs, and they can surely even be contrary to each other.
In any case, The longest path begins with the first step.
The phrase being obvious, it hides important keys:
- It will be faster if distractions are not allowed If attention is lost, the path is also lost The path may be as important as the goal The path may also take us elsewhere
Simplify and focus
It is the foundation of the program, applicable to many of life's activities.
With other reflections it is less easy to agree:
It is necessary to establish rules, even write them, it is convenient to follow them, but it is not necessary to respect them. They are there to be changed.
In other words, established habits and customs are comfortable, but they are not always the best.
Pleasant activities are done with enthusiasm, those that are not, require discipline. The former are enjoyed, the latter are abbreviated.
In economics, resources are always scarce, and / or in times of crisis it is necessary to return to the basics: simple seiri, only invest in what is necessary.
