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As part of our September Safety Month 2012 activities, 5S inspections were performed and flags/plaques given to the facilities that demonstrated the best use of the 5S program during the calender year.
The 2012 5S Champions were:
* Pompton Lakes Asphalt-5S Production Facility Winner
* Totowa Asphalt-Operations Support Facility Winner
* Heavy Equipment Office-Administrative Office Award Winner
* Oxford Quarry-Continuous Improvement Award Winner
What is 5S?
5S is a program that was rolled out by our parent company Oldcastle Materials Group, to Tilcon, in 2008. It is a concept designed in Japan, that has been proven to be effective in many companies worldwide. Simply put, 5S is a structured approach to reducing waste and optimizing productivity by establishing and maintaining a well organized workplace. The implementation of 5S throughout Tilcon has helped to create a safe work environment for everyone.
The 5 Key areas of 5S are Sort, Simplify, Sweep, Standardize and Self-Discipline.
Sort
The first step in the 5S process involves taking inventory of your work area. This means - Sort through everything – make a "use or lose" decision for each item. Dispose of or reassign surplus items.
This first step is really basic housekeeping; but it is important in that it provides immediate benefits in the form of 1) reclaimed space and 2) reduced inventory. There also may be revenue to be realized through the disposal or reassignment of unwanted items.
Simplify
This involves arranging tools, parts and instructions in such a way that the most frequently used items are the easiest and quickest to locate. The purpose of this step is to eliminate time wasted in obtaining the necessary items for an operation.
Sweep
Clean the workspace and all equipment and keep it clean, tidy and organized. At the end of each shift, clean the work area and be sure everything is restored to its place. This makes it easy to know what goes where and ensures that everything is where it belongs.
Standardize
All work stations for a particular job should be identical. All employees doing the same job should be able to work in any station with the same tools that are in the same location in every station. Everyone should know exactly what his or her responsibilities are for adhering to the first 3 S's.
Self Discipline
Maintaining the work station as an effective 5S program.
