When starting the task of making your facility a 5s certified location there are many different things that you must do. At first it might all seem a little overwhelming, but the fact of the matter is there are products which can make everything simpler and more efficient. One area where many people have trouble is identifying everything in your facility, its uses and whether or not it should be there. Some things are easy to figure out like a box of parts which are used frequently on a specific machine. Other items, however, are more difficult. Using 5s red tags you can clearly mark any items you’re not sure about so they can be reviewed in detail.
Most people use the 5s red tag to mark an item which they find in a given work environment which they don’t know about how it is used or needed. Essentially it will help the person in charge of that particular area identify what the item is, whether it should be kept where it is or stored somewhere else and especially whether or not it is needed at all. Many items, for example, are things which were used years ago but have since been discontinued. For items which you do still need, identifying how many of them you should have on hand is also figured out using these tags.
When to tag something with a 5s Red Tag
On your first walkthrough of a facility you’ll likely find that many items are going to be red tagged. This is especially true if you’re not normally the one who works in a given area so you don’t have a full understanding of what each item in the facility is used for. Don’t worry about that at this point because it is more important to just get this first step done quickly and efficiently.
Once you’ve tagged everything that you’re not sure about you can have the area managers or employees who work in the area go through and fill out the details on the tag. Every item should be clearly marked with what it is used for, how often it is used and whether it should be stored somewhere else. Once the 5s red tag is filled out you can go through and take whatever action is necessary to complete the task.
Splitting Up Work
Of course, if you want to skip the first step you can have each area manager go through and red-tag the items that need it. They can then often fill out the red tag as they are placing them on the items to help streamline the process. It is not really important who does which part as long as it is done properly. Having the support of your management team in making your facility 5s compliant will help ensure everything is clearly marked. Fortunately most people can recognize the value in eliminating any clutter and keeping the work environment as clean and organized as possible. This will not only help improve efficiency, but also help improve safety as well.
Additional Resources
- 5S System– creativesafetysupply.com
- What are 5S Red Tags?– lean-news.com
- 5S Red Tags – The Correct Way to Use A Simple Lean Tool– blog.creativesafetysupply.com
- The First Pillar of 5S: Sort– 5snews.com
- How Floor Signs can help with your 5S Project– safetyblognews.com
- Why You Need Asset Tags– realsafety.org
- The Importance of Valve Tags + Pipe Marking– warehousepipemarking.com
- Utilizing Visual Communication with 5S– iecieeechallenge.org
- Red Floor Tape– aislemarking.com