Most people work less effectively, are less comfortable, and have poorer attitudes in a messy environment. For industrial facility operators, housekeeping can sometimes lag behind with busy days where people hardly have time to look up, much less deal with the clutter and byproducts of meeting shipping deadlines or production demands.
Tags: warehouse cleanliness, 5S principles, industrial hygiene
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Roll-form selective rack is the standard for many industrial storage operations. It’s the go-to rack due to its teardrop assembly, ease of use, and strength. Because it doesn’t require bolts or other hardware (aside from a snap-on safety clip) to attach beams to uprights, it’s a popular option for selective industrial pallet storage operations. But there is another option: structural rack with bolt-on beam/frame connections, higher capacities and rigidity.
Why would you use structural racks rather than roll-form racking?
Tags: industrial storage, Steel King, Heavy Rack Systems, Impact Resistance, racking
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
When you have bulk materials to store and handle, when is it best to stack them on the floor, and when do you need to move it to storage equipment like heavier racks? How can you safely and effectively stack these materials on the ground? OSHA offers some guidelines on the question from a safety perspective. When you do opt for either floor stacking or rack storage, what are some safeguards you should take?
Posted in Material Handling|
What specialized applications do you have for shelving? Cold storage capable? Biohazard resistant? Air flow through shelves? Fire sprinklers able to reach all levels? Bin storage and easy visibility of shelf contents? All these are great reasons to go with wire shelving, which can serve multiple purposes in a facility and is less likely to retain airborne dust and debris.
Let’s look at some of the wire shelving options available.
Tags: ventilation, wire shelving, chrome, zinc, epoxy, finish, stainless steel, sprinkler
Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|
In a distribution or warehousing operation, the most common working concept is “person-to-goods” order picking, which simply means that order pickers move to storage locations, often pushing or pulling carts and reading orders off the paper. These pickers spend significant amounts of time walking between storage, and are then expected to decipher an order picking sheet. These operations spend lots of money and time and resources on those steps. Picking paths and storage locations evolve as inventory profiles change — and not always for the better.
Posted in Order Picking & Fulfillment|
In both cases, the guard rail has deformed. That’s good (kind of), because both guardrails have done their jobs and protected the people, equipment or facility structures behind them. On the other hand, you can see that the rail systems have been damaged. Let’s see how they match up in form, function and lifetime cost. Typically when you have a forklift barrier, it will eventually be impacted, and those impacts can be direct or indirect, fast or slow, serious or cosmetic. When the impact is direct, fast and damaging, what are the critical differences in rigid and flexible rail systems?
Tags: forklift safety, guarding systems, Steel guard rail, Flexible polymer guard rail, traffic control, pedestrian, inventory, structure
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Forklifts are often acknowledged as the top safety issue in warehouse and distribution center operations. A number of things make this true: first, forklifts account for 1% of industrial accidents, but 10% of injuries. Secondly, a given forklift has a 90% chance of an accident during its useful life. More alarming is that forklifts account for 85 to 100 deaths in the United States ever year. Let’s explore some ways you can make forklift use safer in your facility.
Tags: training, forklift safety, forklift, guard rail, operations, accessories, traffic sensor, cab cover, tine guide, blue light
Posted in Forklift - Pedestrian Safety|
Guardrails are used to separate people, structures, machinery and valuable assets from heavy forklifts weighing more than 10,000 pounds. The requirements for durability and impact resistance are demanding, yet many don’t understand what types of impacts their systems can endure, and under what circumstances. The issue is compounded by the fact that many manufacturers simply don’t provide impact ratings for their guard rails. Some companies fabricate and install home-made railing, which is likely to never have been rated at all.
What can you do to ensure your guard railing system can protect your employees and property the way it’s supposed to?
Tags: traffic management, guard rail systems, facility safety, hand rails, bollards
Posted in Safety & Ergonomics|
Rivet shelving is one of the most versatile forms of industrial shelving available. With individual shelf capacities up to 1,400 pounds, it rivals the load capacity of heavy wide span or pallet rack but is designed for carton and case storage. It assembles quickly due to its tear-drop and pin connectors and is extremely sturdy whether using a single-rivet or double-rivet design. It’s also available in an amazing array of sizes and layouts.
Tags: storage, rivet shelving, Penco, Western Pacific Storage Solutions, carton
Posted in Storage, Organization & Workstations|
Heavy inventory stored high on racks have a chance for pallets or cartons to fall. How can you prevent this problem?
Tags: warehousing, Racks, Safety & Ergonomics
Posted in Pallet & Warehouse Racks|
