A Site-Wide Visual Management Campaign: Making Safety, Reliability and Problem Solving Visual

Visual management delivers the greatest impact when it is rolled out as a coordinated site-wide campaign, rather than a series of disconnected boards or tools. When designed as a system, visual management can support safety, reliability and continuous improvement in a consistent and sustainable way.

This visual management campaign focused on a single site and brought together multiple elements — from cleaning standards and lockout control to reliability improvement and structured problem solving. Above all, each component was designed to work together, thus creating a clear and shared visual language across the site.

Rather than addressing isolated issues, the campaign aimed to make everyday work easier by making expectations, risks and improvement activity visible at the point of use. As a result, there was a joined-up visual management system supporting safer working, stronger control and more effective problem solving.

Below, we outline key elements of this visual management campaign and how they were applied across the site.

Colour-Coded Cleaning Stations to Support 5S and Hygiene Standards

As part of the campaign, colour-coded cleaning stations were introduced to improve workplace organisation, hygiene control and accountability. Each station was designed to clearly show where tools belong and what they are used for, supporting effective 5S standards across the site.

Firstly, each cleaning station included:

• Brooms

• Scrapers

• Shovels

• Dustpan and brush sets

• An anti-slip floor sign

In addition, colour coding prevents cross-contamination between areas. Furthermore, clear shadow outlines make it immediately obvious when tools are missing or not returned. This reduces reliance on supervision and reinforces cleaning standards through visibility rather than instruction.

Outcome: Cleaner, safer work areas with clear ownership and consistent standards.

Lockout Control Boards for Safer Isolation Management

To strengthen control of hazardous energy, the campaign included multiple lockout control boards, each designed to suit different isolation requirements across the site.

Lockout Control Board with Tags and Numbered Padlocks

One lockout control board was configured with:

• Clearly identified lockout tags

• Numbered padlocks

• Dedicated storage locations for each item

most importantly, this created a single, visible point of control for lockout equipment. Therefore improving accountability and reducing the risk of missing or incorrectly applied locks.

Lockout Control Board with Hasp Hooks

A second lockout control board focused on hasp management, using clearly labelled hooks to ensure hasps were:

• Easy to locate

• Returned after use

• Visually accounted for at all times

Together, these boards helped standardise isolation practices and reduced delays during maintenance and shutdown activities.

Outcome: Improved compliance, clearer control and safer lockout practices.

Permit and LOTO Board for Controlled Work Activities

A permit and LOTO board was introduced to provide a clear, visual overview of live work activities and safety controls. Instead of relying on paperwork stored away from the point of work, this board made critical information visible to everyone on the shop floor.

The board supported:

• Display of active permits

• Lockout and tag out status

• Clear understanding of who was working where and under what controls

This improved communication between teams and reduced the risk of conflicting or unauthorised work.

Outcome: Better coordination of work and stronger control of high-risk activities.

Reliability Board to Drive Proactive Improvement

Reliability improvement formed a key part of the visual management campaign. As a result, a dedicated reliability board brings together improvement activity, maintenance planning and learning in one visible location.

The reliability board included:

• Coloured document holders for live improvement projects

• A ProDAC dashboard to track progress

• RCA and A3 sections for structured problem solving

• Case studies to share learning and successful improvements

• A Condition Based Maintenance (CBM) schedule

• A reliability actions section to track follow-up tasks

This board is the focal point for reliability discussions. Consequently, helping teams move from reactive responses to proactive improvement.

Outcome: Greater visibility of reliability work and improved follow-through on actions.

A3 Problem Solving Board for Structured Root Cause Analysis

To support consistent and effective problem solving, the campaign included a comprehensive A3 problem solving board. This board guides teams through a structured approach to understanding problems and therefore identifying sustainable solutions.

The board included sections for:

• Issue description

• What, when, where and who

• Fishbone (cause and effect) analysis

• Root Cause Analysis (RCA)

• 5 Whys

• Identification of root causes

• Solution identification

• Action prioritisation

• Improvements to standards of work

By making the problem-solving process visual, teams were encouraged to focus on facts, root causes and learning rather than quick fixes.

Outcome: Better-quality problem solving and more robust improvements.

A3 Problem Solver Tracker Board

In addition to individual A3 boards, an A3 problem solver tracker board provides an overview of all active and completed problem-solving activity across the site.

The tracker made it easy to:

• Monitor progress at a glance

• Identify stalled or overdue actions

• Balance workload across teams

• Reinforce accountability

This ensured A3s were followed through to completion and that learning was embedded into standard work.

Outcome: Improved visibility and consistency in continuous improvement activity.

One Site, One Visual Management Campaign

above all, what made this campaign particularly effective was not just the individual boards and stations, but how they worked together as a single visual management system. Safety, reliability, cleaning standards and problem solving were all connected through consistent layouts, clear information and a shared visual language.

This reduces reliance on meetings, emails and verbal reminders, replacing them with information that was visible, accessible and easy to understand at the point of use.

Making Continuous Improvement Visual

At My Visual Management, we design visual management campaigns that fit how teams actually work. By combining practical design with lean thinking, we help organisations create environments where standards are clear, risks are visible and improvement becomes part of everyday work.

If you’re planning a visual management campaign across your site, we can help design a joined-up solution that supports safety, reliability and continuous improvement from day one.