Shitsuke – The 5S Methodology

The 6S Methodology – SAFETY

Developed in Japan – The 5S Methodology is a philosophy that advocates using specific steps to organize the workplace as well as working practices. Its goals are to improve efficiency and eliminate waste.

The five steps/S’s to improve efficiency are:

Sort (Seiri), Straighten or Set in Order (Seiton), Shine (Seiso), Standardize (Seiketsu), and Sustain (Shitsuke).

When you add Safety – the sixth S – you have The 6S Methodology.

In essence, it’s applying all your company’s safety guidelines into the execution of all five S’s.

The 5S Methodology – SUSTAIN

Sustain (Shitsuke): Maintain the standard and improve every day. We’ve provided the Japanese Word for each corresponding step of the 5S Methodology – so we’ll expand on this last “S” with one more. That Japanese Word is “Kaizen”. It comes from the words “Kai” (Which means change) and “Zen” (Which means to make good/better). Put them together – and you have the principle of constant improvement and/or a change for the better.

The 5S Methodology

The five steps/S’s to improve efficiency are:

Sort (Seiri), Straighten or Set in Order (Seiton), Shine (Seiso), Standardize (Seiketsu), and Sustain (Shitsuke).

On occasion – you’ll hear an updated version called The 6S Methodology. This version includes an additional step/S – Safety.