5S in Manufacturing: Is Safety the 6th S?

Lean manufacturing has long championed the 5S methodology as a foundation for operational excellence. At its core, 5S in manufacturing is about creating a clean, efficient, and organized workplace that supports productivity and reduces waste.  

But despite its structured approach to continuous improvement, many manufacturing workers and industry experts have pointed out that one critical element tends to be implied, not explicitly addressed, in 5S: safety. 

Amid safety risks and high regulatory expectations in manufacturing, you’re not alone if you’ve asked: Should safety be formally recognized as the sixth “S”? 

5S Methodology and Lean: Where Does Safety Stand?

The original 5S system came from Japan as a component of the Toyota Production System and lean manufacturing. Each “S” corresponds to a Japanese term geared toward instilling discipline, worker ownership, and structure into the workplace: 

• Sort (Seiri): Remove unnecessary items. 
• Set in Order (Seiton): Organize tools and materials. 
• Shine (Seiso): Clean and inspect the work area. 
• Standardize (Seiketsu): Create uniform standards and procedures. 
• Sustain (Shitsuke): Maintain and review standards. 

The goal of 5S is for companies to optimize their work environment and achieve continuous improvement through better organization, efficiency, and consistency. In the traditional 5S framework, safety has always been a silent beneficiary.  

Here’s how each pillar of the 5S principles contributes to a safer work environment: 

• Sort: Getting rid of unnecessary items from the workplace means there’s less clutter on the plant floor and less chance of a worker tripping and getting hurt, for instance.  
• Set in Order: Organizing tools and materials makes these things easier to find. Workers don’t need to hazardously bend over equipment to reach a material they need, which could cause an injury. Employees can also access emergency exits quickly. 
• Shine: When you regularly clean the work area it’s easier to spot leaks, wear-and-tear, or other unsafe conditions and act before they cause harm. 
• Standardize: Having standardized procedures means employees follow best practices that include safe operations. 
• Sustain: To make sure standards are maintained, manufacturers following the 5S system carry out continuous improvement audits. With these audits, safety compromises get found out before they can become incidents. 

So, safety indirectly benefits from the 5S system. But many manufacturers are now choosing to adopt a 6S model, with safety as a standalone pillar, to make sure it gets the attention and resources it truly warrants.  

After all, in complex, high-automation facilities, safety needs proactive systems, not incidental benefits. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data shows there were 391 fatal occupational injuries in the manufacturing industry in 2023. Making manufacturing plants safer must be a priority in any 5S initiative. 

Why Safety Could Be the 6th S in 5S

Remember, safety in manufacturing is no longer a static checklist; it’s an ongoing process influenced by factors such as evolving technologies, human behavior, and the need to sustain 5S practices. Here’s why many experts believe safety deserves its own pillar: 

1. Safety Has Dedicated Processes and Systems
   Organizations deploy robust safety programs that include risk assessments, personal protective equipment (PPE), hazard identification, training, and incident reporting. Treating safety as just a byproduct of organization undermines these dedicated systems.
2. Modern Workplace Risks Are More Complex
   Plant floors are now home to robots, automated material handling, and AI-driven machinery. This means that workplace hazards are no longer basic slips and trips. Modern safety processes must account for cybersecurity threats, machine learning errors, and human-machine interactions. 
3. Safety Regulatory Demands are More Demanding
   Regulatory bodies like OSHA and safety standards from the National Safety Council (NSC) require detailed documentation for compliance. Having a separate safety pillar helps ensure that these regulations are not lost in general workplace organization. 
4. Operators Make Real-Time Safety Decision
   Frontline manufacturing workers must often make instant decisions such as whether to halt a machine, flag a defective part, or report unsafe conditions. Giving them dedicated safety training and systems enhances both confidence and a sense of ownership in their roles. 
5. Cultural Capital and Organizational Alignment
   Elevating safety to an equal footing helps reinforce its value and aligns leadership, audit teams, and frontline workers around shared goals. 

Safety and 5S Implementation Success Stories

The real power of making safety the sixth “S” can be seen on the floors of manufacturers using it. Let’s look at two examples:  

Jacobs Vehicle Systems 

Jacobs Vehicle Systems implemented a digital layered process audit (LPA) program to standardize and link their 5S audits directly with safety compliance metrics. This let them surface critical safety concerns such as lockout/tagout violations or blocked emergency exits in real time, resulting in faster resolutions and fewer safety incidents. 

Eissmann Group Automotive 

At Eissmann Group Automotive, integrating digital 5S audits with LPAs enabled the company to expand audit scope to include ergonomic and safety-specific checks. The result was a measurable reduction in injury rates and improved employee engagement with safety processes. 

These companies demonstrate how a 6S approach—supported by real-time data collection and analytics—can improve safety performance and foster a proactive culture of continuous improvement. 

Rethinking 5S Method for the Future

If you’ve implemented the 5S methodology you’ll know the value it gives in creating efficient, organized workspaces. But workplace safety is a gap when it’s only implied and not formally embraced as its own pillar.  

Elevating safety to equal status in a 6S model lets it get the same discipline, auditing, and cultural reinforcement as productivity and organization. More than a symbolic gesture, it’s a strategic shift that positions manufacturers to proactively address risks and regulations.