Sweepers, Scrubbers and the Steps to Safer Manufacturing Facilities

Did you know June is National Safety Month? Even more importantly, June 14 is National Forklift Safety Day. Workplace safety is always a critical issue, but during June we join the NSC in their annual observance to help “keep each other safe from the workplace to anyplace”  and the Industrial Truck Association in their mission “to enhance the safety of forklift operators and those who work around forklifts.”

“It's an opportunity to emphasize the critical importance of operator training, to promote greater pedestrian awareness, and to share resources about safe practices in the industries that use this indispensable material-handling equipment.”

At first glance there may not seem to be an exceptionally close relationship between sweepers, scrubbers and 5S. But, according to Six Sigma Daily, "The goal of 5S is to create a clean, uncluttered environment that allows people to do their jobs without wasting time, while also lowering the risk of injury." What could be safer than that?

"5S is a method of organizing a workspace to make it safe, efficient and effective . . . The five words in 5S represent the five steps to accomplish this goal. They are sort, set, shine, standardize and sustain. Lean bases the words on the original Japanese: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke."

5S and plant safety

As workers step through each phase, plant safety increases and continues with compliance and adherence to the discipline.

Sort

This first step is literally sorting stuff out, deciding what stays and what goes, discarding anything hazardous, distracting, or just plain old clutter that doesn't help get the job done. 

Set

Once the sorting is complete, it is time to organize, or 'set in place', the essential things that remain so you can work more efficiently and safely. When things are in their proper places, it is less likely someone will grab the wrong item. A place for everything, and everything in its place makes for fewer errors. Fewer errors translate to fewer injuries and greater productivity.

Shine

The clutter is gone, everything is organized, now it is time to clean. Everything. Storage areas, machines, floors, equipment, tools, bins, work surfaces. A big, major, initial cleaning followed by daily cleaning. Daily cleaning helps to maintain all the progress you made in the Sort and Set phases!

Standardize

Standardizing basically means you are creating new habits. Never easy, but extremely valuable because it ensures everything is done the same way every time which reduces the risk of malfunctions, accidents, and other issues. Again, it is safer.

Sustain

Sustaining these new habits will pay off in so many ways, but most importantly, the longer the 5S method is consistently followed, the safer and more productive your manufacturing team will be.

Put the Shine on industrial floor cleaning and plant safety

So, how does the sweeper/scrubber fit into this method? And what does it have to do with National Forklift Safety Day?

Regular sweeping removes debris

Discarded boxes, packing materials, metal shavings, wood chips, and other debris can be slip, trip, and fall hazards for people—including your forklift operators. Keeping areas where forklifts travel organized, clean and clear of debris makes for safer, more efficient travel. Sweeping removes these items and makes the workplace safer. Using an industrial sweeper helps make this task more effective and manageable on a daily basis.

Sweeping removes dust

Accumulated dust can be a fire hazard, foul machinery and create slippery floors. Regular sweeping with an industrial sweeper or sweeper/scrubber combo unit removes dust so it can’t clog delicate machinery, removes slip, trip and fall hazards, and reduces the threat of fire.

Scrubbing keeps floors safe to walk on and safer for forklift traffic

Slippery floors caused by fine dust, oils, or other liquids increase the potential for slip and fall accidents. Clean, dry plant floors reduce slip/fall accidents and injuries. Slippery floors also create hazardous conditions for operating forklifts and other industrial vehicles. Clean, dry floors reduce the potential for heavy equipment to skid or slide that can lead to dangerous accidents. Using an industrial scrubber or sweeper/scrubber will eliminate fine dust, wet and/or oily spills, and leave a clean, dry, safe surface.

Regular floor cleaning makes leaks more obvious

If the floor is usually clean, leaks from nearby machinery become easy to spot. Since a leak indicates a problem, the sooner the problem’s identified, the better. Repairs can be started, making the equipment safer to use and the work environment free of slip and fall hazards. Daily floor cleaning in a large manufacturing facility is manageable—encouraging 5S compliance—with the proper industrial floor cleaning equipment.

Clean floors create a positive image for the workplace

Clean spaces make us feel better, and that can translate into better, safer job performance. Plus, it’s easier to locate items in a clean environment, a factor that can improve overall efficiency and adherence to all 5S standards and safety protocols.

Let's celebrate National Safety Month by taking steps to Shine and stay safe every day!

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