Good housekeeping also means constant vigilance. This means making spill cleanup, garbage removal, general cleaning and good methods of organization a priority every day, throughout the day. Slips, trips and falls are a common cause of injury in the workplace, and inadequate housekeeping is a major contributing factor in most of these accidents.Īvoiding dangerous conditions like those described above requires a commitment to housekeeping by every individual on your team. It wouldn’t only be aggravating and counterproductive it would also be very dangerous. Our workplace would become a hazardous obstacle course as garbage and supplies pile up, and walking from one point to another would mean navigating through a mess of obstructions. Imagine the chaos that would result if workers didn’t clean up after themselves. In addition, you will see that new employees understand and learn faster and the psychological benefits that tidiness and order bring.įinally, when you are organized you will see that you can push more work through the lab in the same amount of time with the same amount of people, adding value for your doctors with faster turnaround, better quality, and predictable results.With all of the activity at a typical office, many times we find ourselves left with a cluttered mess. As you begin this transformation you will notice that tools are quickly and easily retrieved, safety and environmental conditions improve, space efficiency and visual management is easy.
While 6S’sing your Dental lab can seem like a daunting task you will reap the benefits that organization will bring to your lab and your bottom line. Just because it worked or made sense when you began does not mean it works now.
To make sure all your hard work and organization is maintained, do regular audits to ensure processes work and make improvement or changes when necessary. Sustain is the last and most important of the 6S’s. As the saying goes “old habits die hard”. Make sure you have written standards and procedures, OSHA documentation, training history and signatures and always keep them in an organized place, like a filing cabinet, accessible to all. You cannot measure results if you have not set standards.
ORGANIZATION BENEFITS AND TIDINESS HOW TO
Define everything you do, so everyone will know exactly what they are responsible for and, exactly when, where, and how to do it, then do it the same each time. This is also a good time to review them with your employees. Make sure you have all your regulatory standards documented and are being followed. Safety. Safety is extremely important in the dental lab. Operators will notice when a piece of equipment is not at maximum performance. Shine also means all equipment is operating with maximum efficiency with regular preventative maintenance and cleaning. If you clean at the end of the shift, it will be clean at the beginning of the next shift. Shine. Start doing inspections on your equipment on a daily basis and clean your equipment at the end of every shift. This is the time when you want to begin to develop layouts, procedures and equipment configurations that will aid in the workflow of your lab. Start with something easy, like brushes and then move to more difficult areas. Keep needed items in the correct place to allow for easy and immediate retrieval.
When Sort is implemented problems and annoyances in the workplace are reduced, communication is improved throughput and product quality is increased. The key to keep in mind here is “when in doubt, move it out”. Begin by removing all items that are not needed for the current job process. The easiest way to begin to get organized and “Lean” your dental lab is by following the 6S’s: Sort, Straighten, Shine, Safety, Standardize & Sustain. I'm sure reasons vary from person to person – but getting your dental lab organized can bring huge benefits. Getting organized was ranked as the 2nd most popular resolution for 2014 however only 8% of people actually achieve their resolution ( ). Wow, it's hard to believe but 2014 is here! With a New Year come new beginnings, a fresh start and New Year's resolutions.