Tag Archives: material handling safety

General Safety Issues

Material Handling Safety Tips that Increase Productivity

Written by Liam Smith

When it comes to the issue of safety, most entrepreneurs focus on its effect on the wellbeing of their employees or the fear of a potential lawsuit that would come from an accident. What they fail to realize is the fact that safety tips and productivity tips end up being one and the same. With that in mind and without further ado, here are seven reasons why this is usually the case.

  • Ensuring that the load is secure

This simple safety tip is there to ensure that there’s no fall risk when it comes to materials that you’re handling, however, it also comes with a hidden productivity perk, as well. You see, if the material falls down to ground you’ll have to pick it back up and chances are that this won’t be as easy. Usually, materials come in containers or are on pallets that are supposed to make their picking up (for instance, with a lift fork) a lot easier. Picking it up from the ground may take more work and more time, thus causing a decline in productivity. Also, there’s the risk of damaging the material in question which causes a massive problem on its own. Therefore, the security of the load makes all the difference.

  • Compare the weight of the cargo to the carrying capacity of the equipment

One of the biggest losses of productivity comes from your plans to cut corners. In theory, the more you pack on the forklift, tow tug or a trolley, the quicker you’ll get done, however, what happens if the equipment crumbles under all that burden. In that case, you would either have to repair it or replace it, both of which take time and money. Other than this, the risk of a serious injury drastically increases this way, which means that, once again, safety and productivity go hand in hand.

  • The safest speed

Previously, we discussed the urge to wrap things up as quickly as possible. Now, there are scenarios in which this manifests in overburdening the carrying equipment and those in which people speed up in order to get things done. Rushing is one of the essential ingredients in a recipe for disaster. Even on foot, a person is less stable, less focused and less careful when they’re in a rush. Imagine just how much more dangerous it all is when a person is behind dangerous machinery.

  • Restricting access to hazardous materials

Another tip you need to keep in mind is that restricting access to some parts of your production facility with the help of useful safety barriers may also influence productivity. First of all, it creates optimal pathways within the complex, meaning that there’s no loss in downtime caused by an inefficient itinerary. Second, it eliminates the risk of an injury in a scenario where such a thing would increase with proximity to poorly stacked, mishandled or overall loosely fastened materials. Finally, it reduces the chance that someone who is undertrained will tamper with items that should be off-limits to them. Sure, this barrier is not an impassable obstacle yet it might dissuade your staff from accessing restricted areas.

  • Making sure that the person is trained for the job

Perhaps the most important safety/productivity tip of them all is to ensure that the person is trained for the job at hand. You see, an employee who failed to undergo a basic training lacks the knowledge to handle these materials properly. This means that other than being a risk for themselves and others, they also lack the knowledge on how to handle these materials with the greatest efficiency. By increasing the efforts that you put into your training process, you can make your workplace more efficient as well as make sure that the place is a lot safer for work.

  • Clear visibility

One of the main reasons why accidents happen is due to the limited field of vision of the person operating the machinery/handling the materials. The problem with this lies in the fact that a person might also injure others and cause damage to your assets. This is why you need to carefully examine the entire material-handling process and create an ideal scenario in which this leads to a productivity increase. Overall, what you need to do is make sure that the person operating the equipment has clear visibility of their surroundings. The way in which this affects productivity is more than obvious.

  • Make sure you leave everything in its place

The last thing you need to understand is the fact that if everything is not in its place it’s A) harder for you to find it and B) a safety risk. Think about it, ideally, everyone would look where they’re going all the time but chances are that people will sometimes govern themselves by their instinct and act as if they know where everything is, even when not watching. While this is unsafe, it’s something that you’ll never be able to completely root out.

In conclusion

    At the end of the day, an injury will also cause an employee to be absent from work, which will cause a substitute to fill in for them. Keep in mind that this substitute is, most likely, not skilled and experienced enough for the job at hand, which causes additional problems further down the line. Overall, handling materials in a safe and proper way are the optimal course both when it comes to safety and productivity.

Author Bio 

Liam Smith is a young and aspiring Australian blogger with a passion for everything related to home, and offline business He has a B.Sc. in Interior design and is an avid reader.
https://twitter.com/LiamSmith2034
https://www.linkedin.com/in/liamsmith2034

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues

WORKPLACE SAFETY MANAGEMENT: WAREHOUSE INSPECTION CHECKLIST FOR YOUR BUSINESS (GUEST POST)

2 Comments
 
Adversaries of comprehensive warehouse safety programs argue that they pose too great of a demand on current employees, create a potential need for dedicated personnel, and leach off of resources needed for more imminent, tangible tasks. Seeing is believing; therefore, reactivity typically takes precedence over proactivity since well-defined tasks pose a sense of urgency. Nonetheless, such proactivity could prevent both tragic consequences to affected parties in an accident and crippling financial liabilities to a company that has neglected to enact and sustain safety protocols.  Formulating a checklist and routinely assessing compliance to established standards is a relatively effortless way to ensure that safety is paramount to your warehouse. 
 
Personal Safety
 
Proper training, visual graphics, first aid supplies and communication are paramount in ensuring that people—personnel or customers—are sufficiently advised of potential hazards. As Voltaire said, “common sense is not so common”: stating the obvious is the best way to protect others, as well as yourself.
• Clean all spills immediately upon their occurrence and/or use proper hazard cones to ward individuals away from the area. One of the most common causes of accidents results from unattended spills.
• Designate pedestrian walkways as well as areas that people are prohibited to walk, unless authorized. 
• Use appropriate signage to instruct people of the following: directions throughout a warehouse, hazard symbols, forklift traffic, gantry cranes, and requirements for moving heavy items. This list is not all-inclusive since it varies by warehouse to warehouse, but it targets common issues.
• Use proper methods for retrieving items high in warehouse racking (e.g. forklift) and do not allow persons to climb the racking. 
• Maintain accessible safety equipment (safety glasses, eye wash stations, respirators, etc.) in required areas.
• Use proper “Exit” signs and require that all persons use man doors, instead of walking under open garage doors.