When heavy pallets are stored on horizontal beams in your pallet rack system, there is always some danger of a pallet or items stored on it, being pushed through the back of the rack. Items or full pallets can then fall or push the pallet behind them toward the next aisle in double row systems. What are some options to reduce the hazards related to push-through accidents?
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Because shipping docks are busy, sometimes chaotic areas, they can become a safety hazard if not properly managed. During a busy shift, you may find multiple forklifts, carts, walkies and other traffic trying to work across a series of bay doors, all with pedestrians potentially in the same areas. They can adjoin staging areas, which often allow even more forklifts and pedestrians to work in the same, shared area. That’s where accidents are most likely to occur.
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Above: work areas facing away from an active traffic aisle with pallet stacks that impede visibility for both pedestrians and forklifts.Â
Forklift accidents make OSHA’s top-10 list every year without fail because forklifts are ubiquitous in American industry and interact with hundreds of thousands of people every day. One of the key places to prioritize safety is for pedestrians—the people on foot who work near and walk around forklifts on a daily basis.
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If you manage or work in a manufacturing or warehousing operation, you’re aware of the dangers forklifts pose–particularly to pedestrians who work near them. Keeping pedestrians safe in busy operations is an ongoing process critical for any industrial facility. With that in mind, we’ve published a guide to forklift-pedestrian safety that highlights the factors, suggests solutions and presents information on this critical isssue.
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Fall protection has such a stranglehold on OSHA’s yearly top 10 safety violation lists that any method to keep your workers safe at height must be a top priority.
Adding certain fall protection equipment, such as a tie-off system, provides life-saving protection for your employees. Combined with proper education and training, these systems can reduce worker falls during dangerous conditions at any height. One aspect to consider when implementing such a system is how you want to mount your fall protection. There are multiple options to do so, and each offers benefits. Which you choose depends on your working environment and needs.
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Pallet racks are integral to modern warehousing and aren’t static systems. Safety has always been one of the most critical aspects of warehousing and pallet racks have an outsized influence on warehouse safety. When you evaluate your rack, always take time to look for safety issues.
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Rooftop safety is an often overlooked area for any facility when it comes to keeping workers protected. In the past, there was minimal equipment designed for this purpose and limited education/training.
OSHA issued a recent ruling on walking/working surfaces, which stressed the need for fall protection for those surfaces (29 CFR 1910 Subparts D&I). This may be significant for a number of operations and the way you protect people who work in these areas. Particularly if you have a rooftop edge or other potentially unguarded platform where people may work, there are steps you should take.
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Automated Guided Vehicles are no longer an anomaly when it comes to adding productivity and efficiency to operations. As robotics of many varieties infiltrate facilities and work alongside human counterparts, adoption is becoming commonplace.
With this new embrace of automation, and specifically AGVs, comes new considerations within your warehouse. Daily interactions lead to new precautions to protect workers and your new equipment from damage. One area that must be addressed is your floors and aisles, for they will see a new age of comings and goings.
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Above: distribution center worker stretches over a conveyor line to access a package. Automation can reduce or eliminate this type of stressful, repetitive motion.Â
Companies tend to focus on the hard-dollar ROI when they evaluate automation—labor reduction, throughput improvements, error reduction and efficiency—but should also consider “soft” benefits like ergonomics, safety and flexibility. Ergonomics in particular should be considered a primary factor in an era of aging labor and tight supply.
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Safety is multifaceted, from ceiling to floor and everything between. Operational safety processes boost your overall productivity and bottom line. Some kinds of safety are more apparent and easier to visualize than others; things like forklift safety or machine guarding. One safety concern that should always be addressed, but might be overlooked, is spill containment.
Spill prevention and containment are important to protect workers and the environment around your facility. No one wants the hassle, potentially deadly injuries, or costly aftermath that comes with chemical spills in a warehouse, factory or processing facility. With that in mind, what are good options to help keep chemicals contained?
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