Audit 5s: download our free checklist!

The implementation and application of the 5S method involves carrying out regular 5s audits to ensure that the procedures are properly respected. Mobility Work provides you with a free 5s audit checklist to help you organize the work environment in your company and promote continuous improvement.

What is the 5S method?

The 5S method was developed in Toyota factories to ensure that the work environment is perfectly organized and to promote continuous improvement. It has thus spread to many industrial companies, and even to service companies.

The term “5s” corresponding to the 5 steps of the process to be followed in Japanese:

• Trier (“Seiri”): remove all unnecessary items from the workspace, discard, declutter, and file.
• Order (“Seiton”): provide a space dedicated to each element.
• Clean (“Seiso”): cleaning and inspecting the workplace.
• Standardize (“Seiketsu”): standardizing best practices in the workplace, setting rules and enforcing them.
• Follow (“Shitsuke”): ensure follow-up, integrate 5S steps into daily work to make them habits, regularly perform a 5s audit.

Why do a 5S audit?

Carrying out a 5s audit ensures that the rules to guarantee a good organization of the work environment are well respected. The correct application of a 5S program gives results in terms of profitability, efficiency, of maintenance And of safety.

Indeed, a well-applied 5S strategy allows not only to:eliminate waste, but alsoimprove daily work employees.

How often should 5S audits be carried out?

It is recommended to do a 5S audit:

• every month in the period following the deployment of the 5S program;
• every 6 months once the program is in place.

In the absence of audits, a 5S program is very rarely successful. Studies have thus shown that within 3 to 6 months, production structures return to the state before the implementation of the program if no 5S audit is carried out.

As part of the continuous improvement process, it is therefore strongly recommended toperform 5S audits regularly. To do so, you can download and use our free checklist!