Use of Poka-Yoke in Daily Life

Poka-yoke is a lean manufacturing tool that states to "mistake-proofing" or "error-proofing" a procedure. It was formerly coined by Shigeo Shingo in the 1960s and executed at Toyota as part of the Toyota Production System. Poka-yoke is also existing in our everyday lives, although many instances are so ordinary that we often don’t realize they are there. Error-proofing in daily life ranges from safety features that stop us from getting hurt to spell check, which simply stops us from making spelling mistakes that make us look dumb. Here are the examples of Poka-Yoke in daily life:

Car safety features: Cars are prepared with many "error-proofing" features to keep us safe on the road. Many cars will honk, or light up, if doors are open while the engine is running, or if somebody is in the passenger seat and their seatbelt is not attached. These are instances of warning functions, which alert users to possible errors. Safety technology has advanced significantly in current years. Many cars nowadays come equipped with sensors that alert the drivers if they are leaving their lane or warn them if they are too close to another car.

Treadmills: Treadmills are essential to come equipped with a safety clip which, when pulled, stops the treadmill. This safety feature stops the treadmill if the user falls in order to stop injury.

Microwaves, washing machines, dishwashers, and other household appliances: Many household applications such as microwaves, washing machines and dryers, and dishwashers have mechanisms that stop them from running when the door is open. These are instances of control functions, which stop the procedure from running until essential conditions have been met.

Elevators & garage doors: Most elevators are prepared with sensors that stop the doors from closing if there is something or somebody in the way. Garage doors, subway doors, and other automatic doors are also prepared with this feature. Many elevators also beep and refuse to run if they exceed the weight limit.

Spell-check functions: Spell-check is an instance of a common, yet ignored means of error-proofing in normal lives. Our phones, software, and internet browsers are prepared with these tools that alert us to spelling and grammatical mistakes, stopping us from looking foolish in our communications–a true example of "fool-proofing!"

Leak-proof water bottles & travel mugs: Some travel mugs and water bottles need the user to press and hold a button in order to drink from them. This mechanism stops the contents from leaking or spilling out when the user is not drinking from the bottle.

Power outlets and USB plugs: Many plugs, such as 3-pin plugs and USB plugs, are designed so that they can only be injected into the outlet in one orientation–a classic example of the "contact" method of error-proofing, which uses the object’s physical shapes to stop mistakes from being made.

Overflow outlets in sinks: Several sinks have a hole right below the pipe that stops water from overflowing if the drain is blocked.

Lawnmower safety bars: In the United States, lawnmowers are essential to have a "deadman control," or some sort of mechanism that must be involved in order for the edges to move. This control often takes the form of a lever attached to the handle that the operator must press in order for the lawnmower to run.

Wheelchair wheels: Wheelchair wheels are intended to lock when the chair isn’t in motion. This confirms the occupant doesn’t slip when moving in and out of the wheelchair, or ends up in a risky situation with a runaway chair.

Poka Yoke management training is beneficial while conducting corporate training sessions for Poka-Yoke system at several client organizations, with multinational companies. Poka Yoke Training PPT is useful tool for those who want to quickly and efficiently learn or train others about how to implement Poka-Yoke-based mistake-proofing system. Poka-Yoke is a procedure to avoid inadvertent errors in the organization and make mistake-proofing culture in the organization.