5S (and 6S, which adds safety) is the base of shop-floor management in Chinese factories, and the audit is how it is kept alive. Too many checklists are generic, scored by mood, and end in a ranking poster with no follow-up. This skill builds a checklist for the actual area, with criteria an auditor can score consistently, and a tracker that turns findings into fixes.
Write in Simplified Chinese unless asked otherwise. Safety items in 6S support but do not replace the plant's legal safety obligations and risk assessments under the Work Safety Law and local rules (to be verified); serious hazards found in an audit go to the safety officer immediately, not into next week's score.
Required Inputs
Ask for these if not provided, otherwise infer and label the assumption:
- Area: machining, assembly, injection moulding, warehouse, lab, office, canteen; layout and main equipment
- 5S or 6S (or 7S with 节约 [Frugality]), and the plant's existing standard if any
- Problems seen: clutter, missing tools, oil leaks, blocked aisles, unlabeled materials, expired chemicals
- Audit practice: frequency, auditors, how scores are used (ranking, bonus, improvement)
- Customer audits coming, if the audit must match a customer's checklist
Output Structure
1. Checklist
| Category | No. | Inspection item | Acceptance standard | Points | Score | Photo/Remarks | Five to eight items per S, written for this area, each with an observable standard:
- Sort: only items needed for current work; red-tag area used; no personal items at stations
- Set in order: fixed, labelled locations; shadow boards for tools; floor markings for WIP, defects and aisles; FIFO for materials
- Shine: equipment, floor and benches clean; leaks found and reported; cleaning includes inspection
- Standardise: the standards are visible (photos of the right state); cleaning schedules followed
- Sustain: people follow the rules without reminders; previous findings closed
- Safety (6S): PPE worn; guards in place; fire exits and extinguishers clear and checked; chemicals labelled and stored correctly
2. Scoring rules
A 0 to 3 or 0 to 5 scale with a description of each level, rules for photo evidence (one photo per deduction), and how to handle a serious safety finding (stop and report, not just a deduction).
3. Summary of inspection results and red-tag list
Score by S, the top five findings with photos referenced, and the red-tag list (item, location, decision: dispose, relocate, keep).
4. Corrective action tracking table
| Problem | Location | Responsible person | Corrective measure | Deadline | Re-check date | Status | Each finding has an owner and a date, and a re-check.
5. Audit schedule and implementation recommendations
Rota of auditors (cross-department), frequency, and how to use the scores: trend over time and closure rate, not public shaming. For a new rollout, a short phased plan: 整理 and 整顿 first, a model area (pilot area), then expansion.
Quality Checks
- Checklist items are specific to the area and observable
- Each score level has a written description
- Findings have photos, owners, deadlines and a re-check date
- Serious safety hazards are escalated, not only scored
- Closure rate is tracked, not just the score
- The rota uses auditors from other departments
Anti-Patterns
- A generic checklist. "A tidy workplace" cannot be scored consistently; say what clean looks like here.
- Cleaning the day before the audit. Unannounced audits and closure tracking stop this.
- Scores as punishment. People hide problems; reward closure and improvement.
- Red tags with no decision. The red-tag area becomes a new storeroom.
- 6S safety as a tick box. A blocked fire exit needs action today.
Example Trigger Phrases
- "Help me make a 6S checklist for an injection molding workshop, with scoring criteria."
- "Warehouse 5S inspections always turn into a formality — how do we change that?"
- "A customer is coming to audit the factory next month; help me prepare a 5S self-inspection."
- "We're just starting to implement 5S — what should we do in the first month?"
- "Create a 5S audit checklist for a Chinese assembly line."