INGENIEUR
leading to productivity loss and a line stopped for investigation resulting in production time loss . There is a saying , “ A plant with high safety accidents can never produce quality or safe products for the customer ”. Therefore , safety has a broader perspective now which also reflects on the commitment of the manufacturer to deliver quality and safe products to the customers .
Traditional safety programmes like training , meeting , audit and developing safety procedures if properly conducted have been proven to reduce or prevent safety accidents . However , these initiatives are top-down focused , meaning management or the safety manager set the safety programmes for workers to follow . Sometimes , hidden safety hazards can be neglected .
Another alternative approach is to implement safety as a team process . Here , a safety team is formed consisting of a safety officer , supervisor and a few shopfloor workers . Workers who spend more time at the work site , are more familiar with the work and the environment and are encouraged to seek out hidden hazards and contribute ideas for improvement . The management role here is to support the workers ’ efforts as much as possible . It is a bottom-up approach . Safety improvement when it is implemented will be more acceptable and better complied with by the workforce .
Safety performance must be quantified and this can be done by counting the number of accident free days or hours from the last recorded accident . The longer the time since the last recorded accident , the better the safety performance . This performance must be communicated to all workers to create awareness and serve as a reminder to be continuously concerned for safety at work .
It is also important to include safety performance as one of the evaluation criteria to appraise workers and frontline leaders such as supervisors and line managers . Whenever a worker is involved in a safety accident , related supervisors and managers are also held accountable as co-responsible leaders . This will send the clear message that safety is everyone ’ s responsibility . Supervisors and managers must consistently manage the safety of workers and workers must adhere to all safety instructions and regulations .
PRINCIPLE 2 : GOOD HOUSEKEEPING ( Quality Environment )
Cleanliness , neatness and proper arrangement of things ( right material of right quantity put at the right location ) are part of a well organised environment that reflects the working culture of a plant . These indicate how workers take responsibility and ownership of their workplace , their materials , tools and tasks . Workers who practice this noble culture logically will be more productive and quality focused which are valueadded actions in achieving manufacturing excellence . The effective way to cultivate this working culture is through the 5S initiatives .
The term 5S is derived from the Japanese words representing the elements that drive transformation in the workplace . They are Seiri , Seiton , Seiso , Seiketsu and Shitsuke which can be translated as Sort , Stabilise , Shine , Standardise and Sustain . 5S consists of five sequential steps with each step having its own purpose and method of implementation . The final essence of 5S is not only in creating a conducive workplace but more importantly it is the development of quality and knowledgeable workers who are dedicated to their jobs , and are effective and productive .
Step 1 – Sort ( Seiri ) Purpose . To distinguish between the necessary and the unnecessary things ( tools , materials , equipment , parts ) and make a decision to discard the unnecessary ones . This will put workplace in the right order , limit congestion and open up opportunities for the next improvement steps . Method . Apply stratification management based upon usage frequency . Things which are used frequently are placed in the workplace while things that are seldom used or not in used are removed from the workplace , discarded or kept in store . While doing segregation , it is possible to find necessary things in a bad condition . They must be restored to their normal condition and be ready for use . Usage rate of necessary things must be analysed so that an adequate quantity is placed at
44 VOL 90 APRIL-JUNE 2022