Rich MacAlpine is a lab supervisor at Metro Water Recovery. He has 20 years of lab leadership experience and is motivated to improve lab processes for optimized throughput, better data quality, and more sanity.

Is your lab feeling crowded? Are your supplies flowing out into your workspaces? Is the backup chemical you had the foresight to order last year now expired? Have you spent way too long looking for a Class A pipette? A clean 1L beaker?

If not, congrats! (and can I pretty please have a tour?)

If so, then a 5S project may be just the thing for you!

What is 5S?

Originating from lean manufacturing principles, 5S is a systematic approach to workplace organization. When applied to a laboratory environment, it transforms chaos into order, and boosts safety, efficiency, and peace of mind.

Why 5S?

· Reclaim Up to 30% of Usable Space: Studies on lean office and lab implementations show that rigorous 5S projects typically free up 10% to 30% of floor and storage space. That means more bench area for active experiments, fewer overcrowded shelves, and clear, safe pathways.

· Boost Mental Health & Reduce Your Cognitive Load: Cluttered work environments elevate cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and decrease focus. In contrast, an organized, predictable workspace reduces decision fatigue and daily frustration, creating a calmer, more pleasant atmosphere for scientific work. A clean lab shows your Lab Pride!

· Prevent Costly Errors and Delays: Clear labeling and logical arrangements minimize contamination risks, sample mix-ups, and expired chemical hoarding.

How to 5S?

Follow the 5S Steps of Sort. Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain, in order.

1. Sort — Clear Out the Noise

Walk through your chosen area for improvement and evaluate every tool, bottle, equipment, etc.

· One way to do this is Red Tagging: Apply red tags to unneeded or expired items, broken equipment, or anything that is not being used. Have multiple people in the lab do this for the same area so that you do not remove any item that others need.

· Move unused items out of the way! Move agreed upon red-tagged items out of active work zones. If it isn't used regularly, archive it or safely dispose of it. 

Pro tip: Put unused items that may be of value to other labs on the South Platte Renew/RMWEA FARM site.

2. Set in Order — A Place for Everything, and Everything in its Place

Arrange necessary tools and equipment so they are easy to locate, use, and return.

· Group reagents and equipment by workflow or frequency of use.

· Label drawers, shelves, and dangerous goods cabinets clearly.

· Use foam cutouts or designated outlines for shared tools so missing items are immediately noticeable.

· Place items that are used daily closest to the workspace, then items used weekly next closest, and items only used intermittently furthest away. This helps with organization and reduces the number of steps needed daily.

3. Shine — Clean and Inspect

A clean lab is a safe lab.

· Deep-clean benches, biosafety cabinets, fume hoods, and equipment.

· Combine cleaning with inspection—look for leaking hoses, worn wires, or loose fittings before they become safety hazards.

4. Standardize — Establish Norms

Make visual management and organization the baseline standard rather than a one-time event.

· Create simple color-coded charts, visual labels, and standardized daily opening/closing checklists.

· Ensure everyone knows where common reagents, PPE, and waste disposal units belong

· Have only a useful amount of stock on hand. 50 boxes of XL gloves when you only use a box a week takes up too much space and adds to chaos.

· Use physical reorder cards attached to items to ensure that they are re-ordered at an appropriate time and rate. 

5. Sustain — Maintain the Habit

This is the important step that keeps this from being a one-time cleanup project that in about three more years you can’t even tell was ever done.

· Per the Second Law of Thermodynamics, your Sorted, Set, Shined, and Standardized lab will devolve back into chaos unless additional energy is added to the system to Sustain it.

· Standardize your area by doing regular checks to ensure that stocking levels and cleanliness are maintained. 

·Assign the upkeep of 5S areas to individuals to establish accountability and continued participation. 

Let’s Get Started!

A 5S project isn't about adding extra chores to your day, it’s about eliminating daily friction so you can focus on great science. By taking ownership of our physical space, we build a safer, stress-free environment where everyone can work efficiently and comfortably.

Ready to kick off your lab 5S day?

Pick a bench or cabinet section this week and start sorting!

TIPS: Start small, the clear benefits will help it spread to other areas.

Just make it better; don’t shoot for perfection

Here are some before and after pics of a small 5S project in our lab.

The Before’s:

The After's (same shelves):