Gemba walk: Meaning, process and examples (Safety Culture, 4 April 2023)

Summary

The term 'Gemba Walk' is derived from the Japanese word 'Gemba' or 'Gembutsu' which means 'the real place', so it can be literally defined as the act of seeing where the actual work happens. A safety Gemba Walk, or Gemba safety walk, is a safety walk integrated with the Gemba method, emphasising the continuous improvement of safety by watching the actions required to complete daily tasks and determine ways to make work safer. While a typical site safety walk through aims to maintain compliance with safety standards, a safety Gemba Walk focuses on looking for opportunities to continuously improve workplace safety.

This article describes the Gemba Walk method and includes information on:

• What is a Safety Gemba Walk?
• What is a Virtual Gemba Walk?
• Why are Gemba Walks important?
• Benefits
• How to do a Gemba Walk
• Process
• How often should you do a Gemba Walk?
• Effective ways to do a Gemba Walk
• Examples