Template + Instructions

5S Audit Checklist and Educational Posters

Manufacturing Excellence

Audit Makes Perfect

Your evaluators can use this 5S checklist when conducting their routine 5S plant audits. Audits reinforce workforce adherence to 5S principles, which are all about organizing the workplace to improve efficiency and reduce waste.

Resources

What's Included in the 5S Audit Checklist Package?

Get everything you need to implement a lean manufacturing culture at your plant. Our package includes:

  • A complete 5S audit checklist (PDF, Excel)
  • Beautifully designed posters to display in your plant
    (Available in 24 x 36 in. and 8.5 x 11 in. sizes, ready for printing)
  • A detailed handbook to help you get started

Template 848x848 5 S en

What are the 5S Principles?

1. Sort (Seiri)

Only keep the required equipment

2. Set in order (Seiton)

Equipment is labeled for ease of use

3. Shine (Seiso)

Work areas are kept clean and free from obstructions

4. Standardize (Seiketsu)

Everything is stored neatly and consistently

5. Sustain (Shitsuke)

Audits are conducted regularly and improvements made

How to Use the 5S Audit Checklist

At its core, the 5S framework is made up of 5 steps for maintaining an efficient industrial workspace to encourage safety, worker pride and quality production. Created and popularized by Toyota in WWII, good housekeeping skills are enforced with standards and regular audits to facilitate better operations and, in turn, better products.

The scorecard should be adapted to your facility and 5S practice. An audit is a visual inspection of your facilities, scored against the 5S matrix, to see how well you're implementing Continuous Improvement. Preparing for and discussing the results of an audit is a great team-building opportunity and should include an open dialogue on ways to improve safety, waste, efficiency, and collaboration.

During their walkthrough, the auditor will assess:

  • Which issues have been resolved
  • If 5S principles are being applied consistently
  • What remains to be standardized

The recommended audit cadence is a weekly self-check by teams assessing their work area, a monthly audit performed by the supervisor, and a quarterly audit conducted by the plant manager.

The average baseline for scoring is a ⅗ or 60%, which is considered the minimum acceptable score, while multiple quality back-to-back audits should score at 80% or higher.

In the end, the most significant benefit of workers performing 5S is that it facilitates their empowerment – they get to make the decisions – and engenders a stronger sense of ownership of the area, workstation or department. This provides the engagement necessary to support further lean steps.