Color-coded zones help Central Lab
stay organized and safe

The power of innovation is that a simple change can make a big difference in overall workflow, and you’ll see that at the Central Laboratory.
In the last several months, the lab has undergone a reorganizing effort using the 5S method. This process encourages a clean and orderly workplace so employees can safely and more efficiently get their job done. The 5S’s stand for sort, set in order, shine, standardize, and sustain. 

As the Central Lab tests materials to ensure our Idaho highways are built strong, it is easy for boxes and buckets of samples to quickly pile up. The asphalt, binder, and aggregate is heavy too.

One aggregate sample includes four 5-gallon buckets, each weighing 50 pounds, and the lab could receive three of these samples in one day. You can imagine how it fills the lab’s space up fast.  

Senior Research Analyst Armin Mirahcic and Research Analyst Shelby Alvarado set to work, creating a color-coded aggregate sample zone.

They marked three spaces out on the ground, each with a different color of tape. Blue for “receiving,” the new samples coming in, red for “holding,” the samples in process of testing, and brown for “trash,” the finished samples. Now there is less cause for confusion, or time spent searching for the right sample. The area is decluttered and easier to walk through as well.

“It’s a simple step that is helping us keep this space way more organized,” Mirahcic said. “The colors stand out so everyone can find what they’re looking for quickly.”

“It helps other teammates know where the samples need to go too.” Alvarado added. “Someone else might take in the sample when it arrives. Instead of just setting it down anywhere in the aggregate lab, now they know it goes straight to the blue section.”

Mirahcic and Alvarado say cleanups used to be infrequent. Now with the outgoing aggregate samples easily identifiable in the brown section, they can constantly coordinate with the lab’s trash schedule, so the dumpster isn’t overloaded with weight. 
 
This color-coded innovation is just one example of the Central Lab’s 5S initiatives. Senior Research Analyst Dan Henscheid and Research Analyst Jaime Conley have implemented a color-coded clipboard method in the asphalt mix lab, keeping samples better organized during the testing process, and many Central Lab employees are also reorganizing their own workspaces.

“Everyone has put in a lot of hard work to make the lab more efficient. We’re happy to see how this innovation is paying off,” Mirahcic said.   

Published 08-21-20