Lean principles and safety go hand in hand. If your workplace is cluttered, confusing, or inconsistent, it’s not just inefficient—it’s unsafe. That’s why more teams are turning to a 5S health and safety setup to bring structure, clarity, and control into their daily operations.

In this post, we’ll walk through how 5S applies to health and safety and how you can build a lean safety station that supports both compliance and productivity.

What Is 5S in Health and Safety?

5S is a visual management system from lean manufacturing designed to organise workspaces and standardise procedures. The five pillars are:

1. Sort (Seiri): Remove unnecessary items
2. Set in Order (Seiton): Assign locations for everything
3. Shine (Seiso): Clean and inspect regularly
4. Standardise (Seiketsu): Create consistent practices
5. Sustain (Shitsuke): Maintain and audit the system

When applied to health and safety, 5S ensures that PPE, first aid supplies, documentation, and tools are always clean, clearly labelled, and exactly where they should be.

Step 1: Sort – Eliminate Clutter from Safety Zones

Your first job is to declutter. If safety boards are covered in outdated documents, unlabelled kits, or random posters, they’re doing more harm than good.

What to Do:

• Remove expired or duplicate items from first aid kits
• Clear outdated MSDS or signage
• Discard worn PPE or broken dispensers

Quick Win: Start with a modular board and only include current, required components—nothing more.

Step 2: Set in Order – Create a Place for Everything

Once you’ve decluttered, assign a clear home for each item. A 5S health and safety setup should be intuitive for anyone to use, even without training.

Tools That Help:

• Shadow boards for tools or spill kits
• Magnetic dispensers for gloves or masks
• Document holders for SOPs and emergency info
• Dry wipe boards for inspections and updates

Label everything—and use icons or colour coding to reinforce the purpose of each area.

Step 3: Shine – Keep It Clean and Functional

Cleanliness isn’t just about aesthetics—it’s safety. Dusty eyewash stations, torn glove boxes, or stained documentation send the wrong message.

Create a cleaning schedule for your safety stations. Include it on a dry wipe board so teams can log inspections and take ownership.

Bonus Tip: Choose wipeable, anti-glare surfaces for boards and holders. They’re easier to maintain and keep your setup looking sharp.

Step 4: Standardise – Repeat Across All Zones

This is where lean safety systems truly shine. Create standard layouts for all safety boards, PPE zones, and tool stations across departments.

Why It Matters:

• Easier for teams to learn and remember
• Faster inspections and audits
• Fewer mistakes during emergencies

Create templates, photo references, or layout diagrams that show how each safety station should look.

Step 5: Sustain – Train, Audit, Improve

The best setups fall apart without follow-through. Train your staff on the layout, audit regularly, and refine based on usage.

Use the following tools to sustain your system:

• Monthly visual inspections
• QR codes for reporting issues
• Continuous improvement logs on your board

Consistency is key. A 5S health and safety setup is a living system—not a one-time install.

Final Thoughts

Bringing 5S into your health and safety setup gives you more than just compliance—it builds a culture of clarity, accountability, and pride in the workplace.

By combining visual tools like modular safety boards, labelled dispensers, and wipe-clean displays, you can create a lean safety environment that works for everyone—from the factory floor to the audit team.

Need help building a 5S-compliant safety station? We’ll help you plan, customise, and implement a system that fits your workspace – and your team.