The practices of safety management and Lean production have for many years been implemented separately in most industrial plants. The complexities of regulatory compliance have in large part dictated that separate specialists be dedicated to each area. Over time, in fact, these two essential functions have diverged to the point of being adversaries in many plants due mainly to their seemingly opposed agendas.

So how can workers be kept safe while maximizing production? Seldom have these issues been approached together in a concerted way, but recently some managers have discovered the common ground through a method called Value-Added Safety. Manufacturing companies that realize they need better collaboration between their safety and production people have even begun to merge the traditional roles of safety professionals and lean leaders.

To be effective in both roles, however, each group must be proficient in the practice of the other’s discipline. Designing a process or workstation from the start with good safety practice in mind can make for more robust standard work documents, as many of these documents do not now include safety procedures. Conversely, the approach to safety protection can be simplified, and sometimes eliminated, when a process improvement change does away with the hazard or reduces the frequency of dangerous tasks in the workplace.

Examples include:

• Saving money on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) if the process improvement changes the procedure
• Getting a production line up and running faster by simultaneously addressing both safety and production needs, both of which are essential to good manufacturing practice.

Bridging the gap between the best way and safest way to do a job is what the Value-Added Safety method seeks to do.

Recognizing the Impacts of Safety

“Safety is value-added, and hazards are waste,” says Damon Nix, Group Manager – Operational Excellence at GaMEP, one of the innovators of the method. This phrase helps us visualize the integration of safety and process improvement in the familiar language of a Lean practitioner. Consider the Eight Wastes and their impact on safety hazards:

• Defects – Increased maintenance activities, hazardous material exposure, machine exposure
•  Overproduction – Overexertion, extra handling, unnecessary machine interaction
• Waiting – Setups/Changeovers – hazardous energy exposure
• Not Using Employee Ideas – The company misses out on potential safety improvements
• Transportation – Extra handling, slip, trip and fall hazards, exposure to fork lift traffic
• Inventory – Falling loads, traffic congestion, trip hazards, extra handling
• Motion – Overexertion, poor ergonomic design
• Extra Processing – Unnecessary machine interaction

In a technique similar to the way that lean production managers now conduct “waste walks,” the method equips users with the tools to expand the scope of these walks, having “eyes for hazards and waste,” and beginning to naturally identify opportunities for improvement in Lean and safety at the same time. This will lead to a culture in which the safety professional and the production manager are not adversaries, and where safety improvements come built in and are not just a regulatory measure or afterthought to your workplace layout.

Identifying Projects

In many plants, safety statistics are aggregated into facility-wide performance indicators. This practice homogenizes the data and does not provide the information needed to identify and address problems. This often leads to broad-stroke safety policies and delayed solutions to potential hazards. Using the proven tool of Value Stream Mapping (VSM), the Value-Added Safety method helps you get to the root of the activities from a process level, not just a plant level. So when improvement teams collect their initial data, they will compile statistics on each step of the process, highlighting the riskier areas of a production operation. Each process will continue to be evaluated on production measures such as cycle time, work-in-process inventory, and set-up time. In addition to these typical production measures, data will be gathered on measures of:

•  Productivity Impacting Safety Wastes – Lost days, lost productivity
• Quality Impacting Safety Wastes – Total incidents
• Cost Impacting Safety Wastes – Direct costs paid, indirect cost impacts

This will bring into focus where the hazards lie within your plant and allow you and your managers to focus attention on improving the areas found to be of most concern.

Safety by Design

One of the primary objectives of the Value-Added Safety method is to design safe processes from the start. By combining the tools of 5S/6S and the Hierarchy of Safety Controls, you can seamlessly integrate the countermeasures of Elimination, Substitution, Engineering Controls, and Administrative Controls within the context of the 5S/6S program before having to resort to PPE (personal protective equipment) for equipment operators. For instance, during the “Set-in-Order” step that dictates the process for a new workplace layout, potential safety hazards can be considered right alongside concepts such as point-of-use-storage and material presentation.

Implementing Lean principles and good safety practices together should be a gradual process for companies that have historically operated the two separately (or not at all). There are many considerations to be made in terms of production expectations, safety regulations, and existing company culture. The Safety Integrated Process Improvement method allows safety professionals and Lean production managers to speak the same language and solve problems similarly.

Contact

For more information on how to successfully account for both safety and lean while implementing process changes contact Damon Nix at ude.hcetag.etavonninull@xin.nomad.

By Tom Sammon, Project Manager, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Whether a project involves cleaning out a storeroom or organizing an office or work space, the 6S process of Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Safety, Standardize, and Sustain is typically the same. The initial effort of sorting, cleaning, and organizing yields the greatest visible results, as well as the satisfaction of seeing improvements. After the flurry of this “3S” activity, however, many organizations falter in their improvement efforts. It is after the tour or audit has come and gone, and after the boss has moved on to another priority that the real test of 6S comes.

To succeed in the long term, 6S must move beyond the project stage to become the way an organization operates, that is, to be part of the culture of the workplace. For that to happen, the users of the system must understand the reasoning behind the process and agree with its usefulness. Simply demanding compliance will yield short-term results at best, with an eventual return to the original state.

Addressing questions like these in the Standardize phase of a 6S effort should drive your team to implement lasting changes in the target environment.

• Why are we changing? Discuss the benefits of the effort in practical terms of safety, inventory costs, searching time, space, etc. Making the place look nice is a great benefit, but it’s unlikely to be a strong motivator.
• What is the new standard? A clear definition of the new expectations will be helpful, especially in the form of pictures and checklists of the ideal state.
• What new procedures do we expect people to understand and follow? Think specifically about what people are expected to do differently, and make sure they have the necessary training and coaching to do it.
• How will we communicate these procedures? Don’t assume that everyone will know what to do – think about how they will know and plan appropriate team meetings or other methods of communication and follow-up discussions.
• Is the new standard condition obvious? If the proper visual controls have been installed, it should be clear to users and managers if a non-standard condition exists in the target area. Problem recognition should be immediate.
• Have we made it easy to do the right thing? If the new process places a burden on employees, it is unlikely to be followed for long. The design of the work should facilitate the process, not obstruct it.

Put yourself in the position of a person who works in the 6S target area. At the end of this process, could you answer these questions: What am I supposed to do differently? How am I supposed to do these things? Why is this important?

Thinking through these people issues during the Standardize phase can make all the difference in whether the 6th S – Sustain – is successful. Considering how people understand and respond to the 5S changes establishes the foundation for further success in the organization, and that starts with people.

By Paul Todd, Project Manager, Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

There is little academic research as to the advantage or disadvantages of a 4-day; 10-hour (4/10) shift versus a 5-day; 8-hour (5/8) shift. When determining the best shift schedule for your operation, there are multiple things that you should consider. These include things such as employee desire, customer demand, efficiencies, and safety.

Key Considerations
Employee Desire
Statistics from the Society for Human Resource Management indicate that 31 percent of employees were in a compressed workweek schedule such as a 4/10 shift and a wide majority find it favorable. Wadsworth & Facer (2008) show that more than 70% of employees favor 4/10 schedules. Additionally, 2008, researchers from Brigham Young University conducted a series of surveys and found that about four-fifths of the employees reported a positive experience working that type of schedule. Surveyed employees listed improved morale, work-family balance, more daylight for leisure, time for second jobs, reduced commute time, and lower cost for travel and child-care as 4/10 benefits.

Customers and Suppliers
Customers
The pace of customer demand must also be considered when changing shift schedules. Customers may need to adjust their ordering cycle to adjust to your new schedule. If you are shifting from a 5/8 to a 4/10 schedule, you must consider the additional 2-hours of work per day. Does your order flow or work schedule provide 10-hours of work per day at the current pace? If you are considering a switch from 4/10 to 5/8, can the work be spread across the additional day and still meet your customer’s order flow?

Suppliers
You must also consider when your suppliers make deliveries. If you are moving to a compressed workweek, Just-In-Time inventory policies may need to be adjusted to ensure a sufficient supply of materials. This may mean changing order quantities and delivery dates. Also, your warehousing requirements may increase by at least 20%. Ensure you have sufficient space for the additional materials, or you may need to schedule multiple daily deliveries. If you are considering a move from 4/10 to 5/8 you may have to schedule additional deliveries.

Productivity
When evaluating productivity, few studies that overcome the problems of differences in the workforce or work practices. However, most of the data does not indicate productivity improvement differences between a 5/8 and 4/10 schedule. Companies must perform this analysis themselves over time to see how the different shift schedules affect the productivity of their workforce.

Employees can save money on transportation during a compressed work-week and companies may see a reduction in overhead such as electricity and water as the operation is maintained one fewer day per week.

An additional consideration is the condition of the equipment. Equipment that has been conditioned to run 8-hours a day would run 10 under a compressed 4/10 schedule. Maintenance plans and schedules may have to be adjusted along with the shift.

Smaller groups
Smaller support groups such as cleaning crew, maintenance, and the warehouse have been shown to have a slight increase in productivity when shifting to a compressed scheduled. The off-day in a 4/10 schedule allows these groups to perform some of their activities during times the operation is not running.

Safety
There is little data to suggest increased safety concerns in a 5/8 versus a 4/10 schedule. However, Dembe (2017) points to a variety of studies on the potential dangers that can occur as the result of the additional risks created when work demands exceed a certain threshold. Most of these studies suggest that the dangers are most pronounced when people regularly work more than 12 hours per day or 60 hours per week. Dembe (2005) found that the risk of suffering an industrial accident is raised by 37 percent for employees working more than 12 hours in a day. The risk is 61 percent higher for people in “overtime” shifts. Working more than 60 hours in a week is related to an additional injury risk of 23 percent. As the hours worked in those schedules increase, the risks grow accordingly.

Considerations when changing a shift schedule
Before you change from a 5/8 to a 4/10 or from a 4/10 to a 5/8, the research suggests that there be a program worked out in advance by both managers and employees. All concerned parties must be involved in the decision-making process and that there must be clear explanations as to why things may need to change.

Try starting slowly and implement one four-day work-week a month or one five-day work work-week a month. That will allow time to solicit feedback from your employees and customers. It will also allow time to adjust schedules for shipments and deliveries. During this time, you should monitor employee productivity to make sure goals are still being met.

Considerations when adding a second or third shift
Before adding a second or third shift to an operation, please consider the fact that multiple shifts may result in higher overall costs that are required for shift premiums, nighttime lighting, quality control, and safety measures. Research has also identified that the utilization of evening and night shifts causes higher rates of labor turn-over and absenteeism that could lead to project delays and cost overruns.

In addition, productivity across different shifts can vary greatly. This reduction reflects on a number of underlying factors, including less experienced employees, a disturbed social life, shortened and disturbed sleep, and disrupted circadian rhythm.

Figure 1 below shows the relative performance across a 24-hour day with the worst efficiencies seen from midnight to 6am.

Figure 1: Industrial performance efficiency over the 24-hour day

Note. Reprinted from “Shift work, safety, and productivity”, by Folkard, Simon and Tucker, Philip., Occupational Medicine, Volume 53, p. 96.

Conclusion
Changing or adding shifts can have a great impact on employee morale, efficiency, and safety. By considering the factors mentioned in this report, you can make the transition smoother for your organization.

References
Dembe, A. (n.d.). No, we shouldn’t switch to a four-day Work-week. Slate Magazine. https://slate.com/business/2017/09/you-dont-want-a-four-day-workweek.html
Dembe, A. E. (2005). The impact of overtime and long work hours on occupational injuries and illnesses: New evidence from the United States. Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 62(9), 588-597. https://doi.org/10.1136/oem.2004.016667
Facer, R. L., & Wadsworth, L. (2008). Alternative work schedules and work–family balance. Review of Public Personnel Administration, 28(2), 166-177. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734371×08315138
Folkard, S. (2003). Shift work, safety and productivity. Occupational Medicine, 53(2), 95-101. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqg047

By Ben Cheeks, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership

Over the past month, you have most likely come up with more questions than answers, you’ve accumulated more worries than you’ve ever had before, and are trying to keep yourself and your team afloat, like so many others across the world.

In addition, you’ve probably used phrases that you’d never thought you’d have to say to your adult employees. Things like, “tell your manager if you are running a fever or have a cough; properly wash your hands and disinfect your area multiple times a day; and keep a six-foot distance from your co-workers.” If these steps aren’t followed by your employees, there could be significant repercussions for your team and your manufacturing plant.

As a manager, executive, or owner within a manufacturing facility, a big concern right now is around cash flow and keeping your doors open. One of the most important factors that goes into this is the health of your employees and the questions around what to do if one of your employees tests positive for COVID-19 or has been exposed to someone that has tested positive.

One question the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech staff have repeatedly received is: “How can I afford to shut my plant down for 24 hours to disinfect the workspace?” The answer: “Wouldn’t it be worse if you didn’t shut down to disinfect and then a few weeks later half of your workforce goes down with COVID-19 and you have to shut down longer?”

Put differently: is the small cost at the front end worth the risk of the large price you may have pay on the back end if you don’t sanitize your space properly?

Jenny Houlroyd, senior research scientist with Georgia Tech’s Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) program, developed this guide with 10 steps to take if one of your employees tests positive for COVID-19:

1. Once an employee has notified their manager that they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, the Centers for Disease Control says the employee should no longer report to work. The employee should then remain in isolation until at least seven days have passed since the date of their first positive COVID-19 diagnostic test and they have no subsequent illness, followed by seven additional days of quarantine. Employees must follow the direction of their medical providers and/or local health authorities on when to discontinue home isolation. Employees should not return to work until they have tested negative for the virus. If one of your employees comes to you and says they have not tested positive, but have been exposed to someone who has tested positive, that employee should self-quarantine for the 14-day recommendation.

2. Evacuate and close off the area(s) used by the employee who tested positive for COVID-19. In addition to just shutting down the area that the infected employee worked in, you will need to have a broader understanding of the areas within your facility that they’ve walked through and the shared spaces, such as a break room or rest room that they have been in, and close down those areas as well.

3. Notify all employees who have been in contact with the positive case so that they can self-monitor. In the case of the workplace, “been in contact” is defined as ALL employees in your plant (regardless of shift), since you cannot say for certain which other employees the infected employee has passed in the hall or been in the break-room with. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to alert your team, but due to privacy laws, you may not let others know who on the team tested positive, just that there was a positive case reported.

4. Allow for employees in direct contact of the positive case to self-quarantine for 14 days. In the case of the workplace, “direct contact” is defined as people that work within six feet of the infected individual and those who share common work-spaces.

Examples to differentiate between points three and four include:

• A person in shipping and receiving tests positive for COVID-19:
  • “Been in contact” is everyone within your manufacturing facility
  • “Direct contact” is everyone that works or has been in the shipping and receiving department and/or came in contact with in a communal area of the plant (example – had lunch or coffee with the person)

• A person on a manufacturing line tests positive for COVID-19:
  • “Been in contact” is everyone within your manufacturing facility
  • “Direct contact” is everyone that works in close proximity to that person on the line or the leaders/others that have gathered the team on the line to discuss the day’s work, or and/or came in contact with in a communal area of the plant (example – had lunch or coffee with the person)

5. Open outside doors and windows to increase air circulation in the affected area. Doing this will create an unstable environment for the virus to persist, meaning that the change in temperature or the breeze now coming in through the open windows will help flush out any potential virus in the air.

6. Wait at least 24 hours before you clean or disinfect the compromised area(s). The virus lasts for three hours in the air hour before it breaks down and is no longer airborne, but there are differing opinions on how long the virus lasts on each type of surface. Our recommendation is to wait at least 24 hours before going into the affected area to disinfect it. However, the longer you wait to send others back in, the better the chances are that the virus will have dissipated on each different surface, thus making it safer for your employees. Follow the CDC guidelines on how to clean and disinfect an area. Information can be found at:  cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/community/organizations/cleaning-disinfection.html.

7. Clean and disinfect all areas used by the person who is sick. Do not just clean their workspace(s). Clean areas such as offices, bathrooms, common areas, shared electronic equipment such as tablets, touch screens, keyboards, remote controls, and ATMs. Consult the Environmental Protection Agency’s registered list of disinfectants for use against SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19, which can be found at: epa.gov/pesticide-registration/list-n-disinfectants-use-against-sars-cov-2

8. The only exception to the above additional cleaning and disinfection, is if it’s been more than seven days since their positive test that the infected employee visited or used the facility, additional cleaning and disinfection is not necessary. If an employee notifies you that they’ve tested positive for COVID-19, but they hadn’t been in your facility for at least seven days, the virus most likely would have already expired on all surfaces.

9. Continue routine cleaning and disinfection. Even if you don’t have any positive cases at your facility, it is still important to take preventative measures. Remember that although these same employees are social distancing, they are still around family members and have most likely been in some other public place such as a grocery store or hardware store. It’s important to educate your entire workforce on how to disinfect their workspace, as well as the facility being responsible for disinfecting common surfaces and wiping down common work areas such as break rooms, lunch rooms, and office areas, much more frequently than under normal circumstances.

10. Determine if a positive COVID-19 case is work-related for compliance with OSHA 1904 Record keeping standards. If the infected person contracted the COVID-19 virus as a direct results of exposure on the job, then it would be considered work related and have to be recorded as an on the job work-related injury/illness. For more information visit: https://www.osha.gov/SLTC/covid-19/standards.html

As an employer, it is your employees’ responsibility to make sure they don’t come to work sick and that if they are exposed or test positive that they report it to you, their employer, as soon as possible. As an employer, it’s your responsibility to keep your employees separated, communicate regularly to your team, frequently sanitize your facility, and take appropriate and immediate action, should one of your team members test positive for COVID-19. Remember, shutting down for 24-hours to prevent further spread is a lot more cost-effective than having to shut down for weeks for an outbreak you could have prevented.

About the Georgia Tech Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) Program

Georgia Tech’s Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) program is comprised of safety and health professionals who are trained in pandemic preparedness and are experts in public health. We are committed to ensuring that manufacturing businesses in the state of Georgia get the assistance they need during this difficult time. Each meeting will cover how to develop an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan, strategies for business continuity, guidance on effective disinfection strategies for manufacturing plants, and recommended resources. The Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership (GaMEP) at Georgia Tech is partnering with SHES to provide free, virtual meetings with companies to discuss strategies to create and implement an Infectious Disease Preparedness and Response Plan.

To learn more about SHES’ safety and health consultation offering, please visit: ohainfo.gatech.edu/.

To request a virtual meeting, fill out this form: oshainfo.gatech.edu/virtual-compliance-assistance-form/.

By Katie Takacs, with the Georgia Manufacturing Extension Partnership