Qualitative Evaluation of 5S Application Considering the Experience of Electrical Construction Experts

Mohammad Sadra Fardhosseini,Mostafa Soltaninejad,Zahra Ghorbani,Ali Karji,Omidreza Ghanadiof

doi:10.3844/ajassp.2021.51.60

Abstract

The 5S lean tool is one of the most common lean construction techniques, which can lead to safe work environments if used effectively on project sites. The purpose of this study is to provide a checklist to maximize the outcomes of the 5S approach concerning safety requirements. A grounded theory technique was used to analyze the interview data. Eighteen electrical construction experts with the snowball of construction workers, safety representatives, supervisors, site and project managers were interviewed. Ultimately, the present study simplifies 5S implementation for first-time users and outperforms the outputs of the existing users. It is expected that the presented 5S checklist will provide practical actions for safer construction sites.

Highlights

In the U.S, electrical contracting is an industry valued at over $171 billion annually based on the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) report, made up of over 70,000 electrical contracting firms employing over 650,000 electrical workers
Healthier safety climates are correlated with diminished accident rates (Sheykhfard et al, 2020; Jones et al, 2019; Varonen and Mattila, 2000), making safety improvement the priority of lean construction techniques, especially in the electrical construction industry
Each step of the 5S process will be discussed in order to explain how these steps have been performed in reality and what was their effect considering the analysis of the interviews

Summary

Introduction

In the U.S, electrical contracting is an industry valued at over $171 billion annually based on the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA) report, made up of over 70,000 electrical contracting firms employing over 650,000 electrical workers. OSHA (2016) stated that work-related deaths and injuries cost $151 billion. Healthier safety climates are correlated with diminished accident rates (Sheykhfard et al, 2020; Jones et al, 2019; Varonen and Mattila, 2000), making safety improvement the priority of lean construction techniques, especially in the electrical construction industry. Lean construction is an organizational method designed to reduce waste, maintain flow, decrease cost, enhance quality and safety on construction projects (Aslam et al, 2020a; 2020b; Innella et al, 2019; Ghanadiof, 2017; Srinivasan et al, 2016; Lee et al, 2019). One practical solution to minimize death and injuries at construction workplaces is applying lean techniques such as the 5S system. The first three phases are operational, the fourth maintains the state reached with the previous phases and the fifth phase leads to continuous improvement at work (Jiménez et al, 2015)

Results

Discussion

Conclusion