{"id":13837,"date":"2018-07-12T08:00:04","date_gmt":"2018-07-12T13:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/?p=13837"},"modified":"2026-03-25T13:57:03","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T18:57:03","slug":"a-warehouse-managers-guide-to-safe-product-flow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/12\/a-warehouse-managers-guide-to-safe-product-flow\/","title":{"rendered":"A Warehouse Manager&#8217;s Guide to Safe Product Flow"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-33065\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/worker-conveyor-AS1737432143.jpg\" alt=\"worker wearing gloves moving box on conveyor\" width=\"425\" height=\"318\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/worker-conveyor-AS1737432143.jpg 425w, https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/04\/worker-conveyor-AS1737432143-300x224.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 425px) 100vw, 425px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of the best things about warehouse automation the way it helps your labor force become more flexible.<\/p>\n<p>With the right automation strategy,<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2018\/03\/22\/why-your-order-pickers-should-be-more-like-fast-food-workers\/\"> you can add new people without long training curves<\/a>. This allows you to expand, hire temporary workers as needed and juggle shifts. When it comes to safety, though, there are behaviors you must account for, no matter how much conveyor or how many robots are at work to simplify the work. Let&#8217;s break down the ways you can work to keep people safe near <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/972\/conveyors\">conveyors<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<aside class=\"tldr-summary\" style=\"padding: 10px 20px 15px 25px; margin-bottom: 50px; border-radius: 15px; border: 2px solid #e4dddd; margin: 4px 10px 4px 10px; box-shadow: 0 4px 8px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.2), 0 6px 20px 0 rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.19);\" data-type=\"summary\">\n<h4>TL;DR \u2013 Enhancing conveyor safety and product flow<\/h4>\n<p>Ensuring safe product flow around conveyors requires a combination of robust environmental controls and consistent employee training.<\/p>\n<p>Key safety measures include installing motor and chain guards to prevent snags, maintaining clearly visible emergency stops, and using safety nets or underside pans for overhead lines to protect workers below from falling debris. Behaviorally, it is critical to enforce strict dress codes (no loose clothing or jewelry) and ensure conveyors are fully locked out before any jams are cleared.<\/p>\n<\/aside>\n<p><script type=\"application\/ld+json\">\n{\n  \"@context\": \"https:\/\/schema.org\",\n  \"@type\": \"BlogPosting\",\n  \"headline\": \"A Warehouse Manager's Guide to Safe Product Flow\",\n  \"name\": \"A Warehouse Manager's Guide to Safe Product Flow\",\n  \"description\": \"Safe product flow around conveyors involves robust environmental controls and consistent training. Key measures include motor guards, accessible emergency stops, and safety nets for overhead lines. Behavioral rules like strict dress codes and proper lock-out procedures for clearing jams are essential for worker protection.\",\n  \"url\": \"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2018\/07\/12\/a-warehouse-managers-guide-to-safe-product-flow\",\n  \"datePublished\": \"2018-07-12\",\n  \"author\": {\n    \"@type\": \"Person\",\n    \"name\": \"Scott Stone\"\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<h3>Environmental factors and conveyor safety<\/h3>\n<p>Some of the most important items are based on your ability to create a safer working environment. An environment that some may call &#8220;idiot proof&#8221; (that&#8217;s not a bad name, though; the less your people have to know to be safe, the better. Safety should be simple).<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float: right; width: 100%; max-width: 300px; height: auto; margin-left: 10px; margin-top: 10px;\" src=\"\/\/static.cisco-eagle.com\/images\/conveyors\/24-Hour-Conveyors\/Hytrol-Chainguard.jpg\" alt=\"conveyor chain guards\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>Install motor &amp; chain guards &#8212; and be sure they aren&#8217;t tampered with<\/h4>\n<p>Don&#8217;t operate a conveyor without guards. This is an entirely controllable factor that resides with your maintenance department. Making certain conveyors don&#8217;t expose moving parts or motors is critical to safety, as some of the most common accidents are due to fingers or hair caught in machinery.<\/p>\n<p>The important takeaway is that anything that moves, rolls, pulls or pushes should be guarded from fingers and hands as much as possible. This is an inexpensive and mandatory safety measure.<\/p>\n<h4>Make sure you do the maintenance<\/h4>\n<p>Conveyors that are well-maintained are not only more reliable; they are safer. This means maintaining safety factors like emergency stops, switches, control panels, motors and belting. Anything that can snag might pose a danger, including loose parts or belting. Maintenance helps you head off these problems.<\/p>\n<h4>Don&#8217;t compromise on emergency stops<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"width: 100%; max-width: 532px; height: auto;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/e-stop-cable.jpg\" alt=\"emergency stop for conveyor system\" \/><\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s mandatory for power systems to have visible emergency stops accessible across the conveyor line so that it can be stopped in case of an accident. But more than just having them, you must check them for effectiveness, train your people and be sure they are visible and easily accessible.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2012\/09\/11\/the-importance-of-conveyor-emergency-stops\/\">More information here.<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/3359\/emergency-stop-systems-for-conveyor\">OSHA and e-stops<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Guard the structure<\/h4>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"float: right; width: 100%; max-width: 300px; height: auto; margin-left: 15px; margin-top: 15px; margin-bottom: 15px;\" src=\"https:\/\/images.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/conveyor-guardrail.jpg\" alt=\"guarding the base of a conveyor with flexible rails\" \/>Installing guard rails around the base of the conveyor when it&#8217;s exposed to forklifts, walkies or other industrial equipment makes everyone in the vicinity safer in the event of a driver error that could damage, tip or move the conveyor.<\/p>\n<h4>Account for transition points<\/h4>\n<p>When conveyors feed machinery, transition to other conveyors, sort, or integrate with a lift there can be safety issues that don&#8217;t exist elsewhere in a longer production line. This means you must train the people who work in those spaces on any dangers. You must find guarding that reduces the exposure to these areas as well. Many fall under the <em>guarded by location<\/em> standard, but not all.<\/p>\n<h4>Protect people beneath overhead lines<\/h4>\n<p>When items are conveyed overhead, either with overhead systems or standard conveyors mounted at height, measures to prevent falling items, components or hardware from hitting people below are necessary. These measures may include<a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/851\/conveyor-safety-netting\"> safety nets that can catch falling items<\/a>, but may also include underside pans that catch hardware.<\/p>\n<p><em>More information below:<\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2015\/08\/20\/conveyors-and-falling-item-prevention\/\">Conveyors and falling item prevention<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/2018\/06\/19\/how-to-set-overhead-conveyor-clearances\/\">Setting proper overhead clearances<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Behavior and training<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Start for success.<\/strong> Implement a process for starting your system that focuses on clearing any areas where moving parts are present as the conveyor starts up. Stop the conveyor before dealing with jams or snags. Do it the same way every time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Keep your hands off &#8212; unless they need to be on.<\/strong> Train people to avoid touching a moving belt. This appears to be safe to some operators, causing employees to be lax around the belt at time.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Dress for success&#8211;and safety.<\/strong> Discourage operators from wearing saggy clothes, jewelry, long hair or anything else that can be caught in the conveyor when it&#8217;s running. This is a particularly dangerous situation with visitors, who may come in with loose-sleeved coats, watches, etc. Be sure people who are near the conveyor are appropriately and safely dressed.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Don&#8217;t let people get distracted.<\/strong> Smoking and eating, as well as cell phone use should not be allowed while on shift and near the conveyor.<\/li>\n<li><strong>No amateurs.<\/strong> Those who aren&#8217;t trained to operate or interact with the conveyor shouldn&#8217;t be in the area. The good part is that you should be able to fully train order pickers and operators fairly quickly.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Clear jams in a safe manner.<\/strong> Don&#8217;t allow people who aren&#8217;t qualified to clear jams or generally reach into the conveyor. Be sure the conveyor is stopped and locked out before anyone attempts to clear a jam.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>Final thoughts<\/h4>\n<p>Conveyor is generally safe warehouse equipment, assuming you take the right precautions, train your team and set the table for success. If you have questions about conveyor safety, let us know.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/3356\/conveyor-safety-articles-and-information\">Cisco-Eagle&#8217;s Conveyor Safety Resources Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.osha.gov\/pls\/oshaweb\/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&amp;p_id=10765\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">OSHA Standards: Conveyors, Elevators &amp; Hoists<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/category\/3194\/conveyor-buyer-guide\">Cisco-Eagle&#8217;s Conveyor Buying Guide<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>One of the best things about warehouse automation the way it helps your labor force become more flexible. With the right automation strategy, you can add new people without long training curves. This allows you to expand, hire temporary workers as needed and juggle shifts. When it comes to safety, though, there are behaviors you [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[288],"tags":[],"series":[],"class_list":["post-13837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-order-picking"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2027-04-21 22:35:45","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13837","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=13837"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13837\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":34048,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13837\/revisions\/34048"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=13837"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=13837"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=13837"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cisco-eagle.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=13837"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}