Red Tag Area
When going through the 5S process in the “Sort” function, sometimes it is not clear whether an item, or piece of equipment should be kept or removed. A Red Tag area will help the team temporarily “let go” of items rather than struggle through the decision of discarding versus keeping.
Process
The process begins when you find something that is no longer needed or extra and you would like to dispose of it.
- Place item in Red Tag Area
- Only tag items that belong to other people.
We assume all items in the red tag area are additional supplies or equipment that should be discarded. The tag for items that have been left behind by other people will help us to figure out that we should not discard it and instead try to return it to its owner.
- If you need an item, pull it from the Red Tag area and make a designated place for it.
If you make a designated place for it it will be clear to others that it is needed and it will not end up in the red tag area again.
- On the last week of the month, we clear out the red tag area
At this point, we decide whether or not to sell, donate, dispose or recycle the items in question. Each piece should be talked about, even if they are for projects that we had plans to use them for. We may not care about the project anymore and may want to get rid of clutter.
The red tag system is a safety net that keeps people from taking necessary equipment from an area. Some items are used only intermittently and can look like they are not needed for a process and so this prevents them from ending up in the trash.