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According to Healthcare Performance Partners, one of the most powerful and straightforward tools in the LEAN tool chest is 5s. It’s all about simple strategies for eliminating waste and maintaining good housekeeping in the work area. 5s can be applied in ANY department. From Clerical work areas to Pharmacy to Surgery or Radiology and even the Business office, the benefits of practicing 5S include improving storage capacity, decreasing time and frustration spent searching for required tools and materials, and avoiding cost of useless inventory.
The 5S:
SORT—Get rid of unneeded items. Remove what you don’t need and keep what you do.
TIP: Ask yourself “Do I need this every day in my workspace?” If yes, keep it! If no, put it aside with a red tag. LOOK OUT FOR: Excessive inventory, junk, obsolete items/equipment, expired supplies.
STRAIGHTEN—Organize and label the location for items that are needed in the area. “Set in order” Give everything a place and a place for any object.
TIP: Classify by Hot objects: things that are used daily/weekly. And Cold objects: things used monthly/rarely. Put hot objects in the easiest places to reach, Cold objects in other places.
SHINE— Clean the workspace; equipment clean and prep for use.
STANDARDIZE—Develop cleaning methods and cleanliness standards to maintain the first 3 S’s.
TIP: Place a schedule in SQSS or on your calendar so you remember every week/month/3months that you want to do a task. For example, every 3 months clean the Pyxis Machines to keep them from overheating.
Use reorder cards to help staff know when to reorder supplies.
“Make it a habit.”
SUSTAIN—Review the workplace regularly. “Establish norms and respect them.”
TIP: Ideas to help sustain 5S—Last 15 min of your day, “Tidy Friday”, Audits, Area Ownership.
5s examples @ CHCS!
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