Impact of 5s workplace organization on dredging productivity: A plot field case study in swamp operations

This study investigates the effect of implementing the 5S workplace organization methodology on the operational performance of a cutter suction dredger in a Nigerian swamp environment. The research adopts a single-site before–after field intervention design, where the 5S principles—Sort, Set in Order, Shine, Standardize, and Sustain—were systematically introduced to improve workplace organization, material handling, and operational efficiency. Ten matched observations of hourly dredger output were collected under comparable operating conditions before and after the intervention.
Descriptive assessment of operational inefficiencies across 5S categories indicated that issues related to “Set in Order” were most prevalent, followed by “Sort” and “Shine,” suggesting their relative importance in influencing workflow disruptions. A paired-samples t-test was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on dredger output. The results showed that mean hourly production increased from 520.65m³/h before implementation to 606.14m³/h after implementation, representing an average improvement of 85.49m³/h. The mean difference was statistically significant, t (9) = 8.97, p = 0.001, with a 95% confidence interval ranging from 71.41 to 99.57.
These findings indicate that structured workplace organization through 5S implementation can enhance operational performance in dredging activities. However, given the limited sample size and single-site design, the results should be interpreted as indicative rather than broadly generalizable. Further studies with larger datasets and multi-site validation are recommended to confirm the robustness of these findings.