4 Ways To Wrap Up Safety Issues In The Warehouse Industry
As the owner and of a warehouse, you are in charge of more than just warehouse materials and supplies. You also have to ensure the safety of your warehouse to prevent injuries from occurring. Unfortunately, warehouse injuries are quite common. Slip and fall injuries alone are the second leading cause of injury and they most commonly occur in warehouses. Fortunately, you can get more info on ways to reduce slip and falls and other types of injury through proper warehouse safety.
Keep Floors Clear of Debris
Unrestrained and disorganized products can pose a trip and fall hazard for you and your employees. Make sure your employees receive the proper training to keep floors free and clear of debris, which includes loose pallets. Pallets are often used in warehouses to keep products off the floor.
Loose can lead to injury. Fallen pallets can also create trip hazards where employees walk. Properly contain pallets to prevent injuries from occurring by using stretch wrappers. Stretch wrappers allow you to minimize loose and falling pallets. A plastic wrap is secured tightly around the pallets to keep them in place, which also makes them easier to store.
Invest in Automation
Although stretch wrappers are an ideal way to prevent injury resulting from falling or loose pallets, injury may also occur as a result of manual wrapping. A production trial performed on an Illinois warehouse revealed that employees received back injuries by manually wrapping pallets.
Wrapping dispensers can weigh between 30 and 35 pounds. Having to bend and twist while handling the manual dispenser can lead to pulled muscles, hernias, and more. Instead, invest in the power of automation. Automatic pallet wrappers can reduce the risk of injury in the workplace.
Make sure your employees receive proper training to avoid injury when using automated pallet wrapping machines. When used properly, the automated machine can reduce other unnecessary injuries in the workplace.
Secure Stacked Pallets
Pallets that are not in use are often stacked in various areas throughout the warehouse. Keep in mind that stacked pallets may also create certain risks. If stacks of pallets are not secured properly, they can fall on an employee and lead to serious injury. Make sure all pallet stacks are wrapped tightly to prevent them from falling.
Falling pallets can strike an employee in the head. The problem with falling pallets is that it is a preventable risk. If you fail to properly secure stacked pallets, you could find yourself facing a lawsuit filed by the injured employee.
Prevent Punctures and Lacerations
Wood pallets can splinter, which can create minor punctures and lacerations. Wood pallets may also have sharp nails or screws poking out, which may create minor, moderate, or even severe punctures or lacerations. Ensure the safety of your employees by ensuring they cannot injure themselves on pallets.
Wrap pallets to prevent punctures and lacerations while your employees handle or move pallets from one end of the warehouse to the other. Wrapped pallets minimize the risk of punctures and lacerations. Once the pallets are unwrapped, have your employees inspect them for possible puncture and laceration risks. Sand off splinters and trim down the pointed ends of nails and screws.
By following these safety tips, you can minimize lost production and finances in the workplace. Much of these safety hazards can be addressed simply by wrapping pallets with a secure material. Pallet wraps ensure security and safety as a means of minimizing trip hazards, back injuries, falling pallet hazards, and even puncture and laceration hazards. Not only will these tips help you keep your employees safe, but you will also be complying with many of OSHA's safety regulations
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