The forklift is ubiquitous in warehousing, manufacturing, distribution and other industrial operations, but many companies are actively working to reduce fleet size—or eliminate forklifts entirely.
Why eliminate forklifts?
This seems to be mostly about safety. Powered industrial trucks ranked sixth for OSHA violations in the most recent data. They’re always near the top. They cause about 100 deaths in the United States every year, and tens of thousands of injuries, with a high percentage termed “serious.” Forklifts are often the single most hazardous machine in any facility that operates them. Can you truly make a warehouse forklift free, as many EHS experts recommend? Maybe not, but you can minimize forklifts and keep them out of the most dangerous areas. Let’s dive into some methods.
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Tags: Warehouse Management, Material Handling, Industrial Lifts, forklift
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
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With the rising costs of workers’ compensation insurance and global pressures to increase productivity, warehouse and distribution center managers are taking a much closer look at improving ergonomics. With as many as 65% of worker’s compensation claims associated with manual materials handling, insurance companies are raising their rates—or mandating ergonomic improvements for continued coverage.
Equipment suppliers are responding to the need, engineering and designing features into their products to help workers minimize the strains associated with lifting, reaching, twisting, pulling and pushing. These new product features can also help address the demand for increased productivity as well.
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Tags: Safety & Ergonomics, Material Handling, order fulfillment, warehouse safety, ergonomics, plant safety, Order Picking & Fulfillment
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
We help clients with structural mezzanines and rack supported systems in a range of facilities.
Mezzanine options range from professionally manufactured to home-made to local fabrication shop to professional contractors. If you have a mezzanine or storage platform custom fabricated, you need to be sure your contractor is complying with OSHA & local safety regulations, particularly on guard railing, stairs and gates. If your fabricator doesn’t routinely work with mezzanines, this is something you’ll have to do on your own. The best policy is to look at established vendors if you don’t want to micro-manage the details of building permits, code compliance, and OSHA’s blessings. Here’s a breakdown of the handrail issues you might run into:
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Tags: code compliance, building codes, Space Optimization, warehousing, Material Handling, OSHA, Mezzanines, industrial safety
Posted in Mezzanines & Industrial Platforms|
Working at height continues to rank high on the list every year when it comes to OSHA statistics, potential causes of major injuries and even fatalities.
Research shows that far too many people end up injured or worse because of their work on ladders, rooftops or other spots above the ground. As a result, it is extremely important for EHS leaders to be aware of the potential hazards their personnel face when working at heights, as well as the best ways to keep employees safe on the job.
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Tags: industrial safety, lean warehousing, warehouse safety, industrial accident prevention, Safety & Ergonomics, Warehouse Management, warehousing, Material Handling, lean manufacturing
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
What’s the optimal storage concept for your operation?
The ideal storage equipment for a given product can vary based on load, picking method, throughput, shipping issues and many other factors. Usually it involves a blend of shelving, racks, cabinets, and other means of organizing product in a given footprint. One of the questions that comes to mind is the line where a product or group of them is best slotted into shelving and bins, or if that product is best suited for carton flow solutions. Let’s examine the factors.
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Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
It’s been a sudden transition: many forklifts no longer use flashing strobe or beacon lights and have transitioned to LED “blue light” forklift safety lights that project on the floor rather than flash on the forklift itself. Workers have never liked an excess of flashing lights, but to some extent this is because companies aren’t deploying the beacon lights for the right application. LED floor lights are true warning systems, while beacons are visibility enhancements for already visible trucks.
Why do warehouse workers prefer LED systems?
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Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
You’ve heard this pitch before: If you just implement this software, or that machinery, or hire my consultant, or buy into this other program, you’ll realize amazing gains. You’ll be more productive; more accurate; you’ll work less hours. Things will be great.
You may really need to expand your facility, or install expensive new WMS software or add high levels of automation, but it’s always worth checking on process or facility layout changes before you take the plunge. What are some areas you should consider?
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Tags: KPI, warehouse performance, Process Management, ecommerce, 3PL, distribution systems, Third Party Logistics
Posted in Warehousing & Distribution|
Forklifts dominate OSHA’s annual list of safety violations, so it’s no mystery why industrial companies are always searching for ways to improve safety.
Safety-conscious operations are integrating safety lights and sensors to help reduce pedestrian/forklift accidents. These systems usually detect traffic (people and forklifts), and then deploy visual and/or audible warnings to the driver, the pedestrian, or both. When it comes to visual warnings, some are ceiling-hung, others at eye level, and others are shot onto the floor. What placement works best, and why?
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Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
Light-directed picking is the heavyweight champion when it comes to productivity gains, order picking speed, increased accuracy, and ease of operator development.
Because it’s 100% hands-free and requires no headpiece, it’s also highly flexible for many challenging fulfillment operations. We’ve compiled ten ways to analyze your operation to determine if these systems would be a fit for you. Obviously, more specific information will be needed, but this should get you started.
We spoke with Lightning Pick’s Dave Broadfoot about the best ways to ensure you are making a good pick-to-light decision.
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Tags: ROI, Order Picking & Fulfillment, pick to light, 10 tips
Posted in Automation, Labor & Efficiency|
You see them all over the place in warehouses these days – the ubiquitous blue forklift light gliding over the floor ahead of or behind a lift truck as it winds its way between rack rows, down aisles, across docks, and out of trailers. AÂ wide variety of choices are available, including many inexpensive imports with a bewildering number of dense specifications. How can you tell the difference?
Let’s break down the ways you can avoid the “bargain” light that could cost you plenty.
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Tags: dock safety, warehouse accidents, lights, spotlights, forklift safety
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
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