Design process lean concepts

What this pharmaceutical company has done is an excellent example of how lean and safety can be addressed concurrently in the design process. The concept has... 

Lean Concepts Opportunities for Safety Professionals Applied lean concepts are to eliminate waste, improve efficiency, and lower production costs. Elements of waste that should be addressed in the lean process are the direct and ancillary costs of accidents. This chapter Discusses the origin of lean concepts and how broadly they are being applied Gives examples of lean applications in which hazards and risks were not addressed Comments on the opportunity for effective involvement in lean initiatives by safety professionals and Outlines a unique merging of lean and safety through design concepts. An Addendum offers A Simplified Initial Value Stream Map To Identify Waste (Muda) and Opportunities for Continuous Improvement (Kaizen). 

Chapter 14, Lean Concepts Opportunities for Safety Professionals, discusses how a company merged lean concepts into its design process. Design reviews are made at several stages as the design progresses. 

Understandably, several terms associated with the lean concept are Japanese. Condensed definitions of these terms follow, a since they are applied in the design process discussed later in this chapter, as well as some other definitions that need to be understood. 

The 5S Concept Originators of this lean/design process were asked to critique what this author had written about their process for technical accuracy. One of the reviewers made this comment We have found... 

Lean concepts are applied to reduce waste and accidents are a form of waste to be avoided. Guidance is given for safety professional as they become involved in lean applications for existing facilities and in the design processes. 

Many companies undertake training of employees in the concepts and tools shown in Table 24.1. Much of this time is wasted without application to a process improvement effort. Supply chain improvement efforts are a good way to introduce Design Team members to process documentation as part of lean. Six Sigma, Total Quality initiatives, or unlabeled efforts. Process documentation and analysis skill is the core competency for these initiatives. 

A process model for safety and lean is presented and examples demonstrate situations where this has not occured. A risk assessment framework is outlined that demonstrates how lean manufacturing concepts and safety can be implemented concurrently. Examples of where safety and lean have been successfully applied are shared. This document also provides design guidelines on how to meet lean objectives without compromising safety. 

This Technical Report is an excellent resource for safety professionals who want to understand how the lean process and safety principles can be melded to serve waste reduction purposes while maintaining acceptable risk levels. It provides guidance from the initial concept stage for design and redesign and addresses operational waste reduction applications. 

Lean is a business model emphasizing the ehmination of waste while delivering quahty products or services at the least cost. When engineers must practice lean in the course of daily business, doors open for safety professionals to weigh in on issues related to risks to employees and the environment during concept and design of new products or process. 

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