Tips for keeping your warehouse safe

For warehouse owners, safety isn’t just a matter of looking good to potential clients. The costs associated with a warehouse pallet rack accident can be incredibly high, and while various forms of insurance can cover some of the costs, some will be the employer’s burden to bear. Vietpos rack will share with customers security tips to ensure the safety of the warehouse. In addition, if you want to buy warehouse shelves, please contact us at hotline: (+84) 796 700 777.

Secure Tall Shelves

Shelves should be bolted to each other, to the floor, and a wall if possible. Plus, shelves need to have a height-to-depth ratio of 6:1 or lower, as securing shelving with insufficient depth becomes extremely difficult.Even well-secured warehouse pallet racks can become hazardous if improperly loaded. Always load heavier pallets onto lower shelves, even if it means using space somewhat inefficiently. When in doubt, take the time to free up space on lower shelves by moving lighter objects to higher shelves.

Inspect Up-Close

Rust, missing safety clips and bolts, bending shelves, and other seemingly minor damage can have serious consequences. Even if your shelves are relatively new, take the time to inspect them once every few months. Make sure also to inspect stairs and ladders, including their wheels, as these can be damaged just through everyday use.Also, make sure to re-inspect shelving units after every accident, no matter how minor. A forklift collision with a corner of the shelving unit can cause safety clips to become dislodged in another corner.

Enforce Weight Limits

Putting too much weight on shelves is a sure way to set your warehouse up for a catastrophe. Even if the shelf appears to be holding the weight without visible damage, the additional strain put on the shelving and supports makes the whole structure vulnerable to sudden collapse. Long-term wear and tear on key parts will occur much more quickly.

If there are ever any doubts about the weight capacity of shelving, contact the manufacturer. If there is any significant damage, the entire affected part and any bolts or clips that it used should be replaced.

Make Aisles as Wide as Possible

No matter what type of facility you operate, making the most of available space is a challenge. For growing businesses, making storage space as tight as possible seems tempting, as it theoretically improves capacity and profits.

However, narrow aisles can be a significant cause of forklift accidents and can even cause problems for experienced forklift drivers. Narrow aisles can even contribute to pallet jack and handcart collisions. When aisles are narrow, it makes it hard to see and avoid anyone coming from an intersecting aisle.

Get Better Infrastructure

Ultimately, the best way to reduce accidents in a warehouse is to reduce the number of potential causes. Human error is hard to eliminate, especially when forklifts are involved. Installing automated picking systems may seem like a lot of work, but they actually decrease the man-hours required in the long run. They’re also more user-friendly than ever, and their software can be highly customized to suit most warehouse applications.

Train and Re-Train

Mandates forklift training, and employers should never allow untrained employees to operate a forklift. However, training for other equipment, such as handcarts, should be thorough as well. Even employees who don’t regularly lift and load pallets should be trained on basic safety procedures regarding shelving areas, in case they ever need to enter the areas.

Video warehouse operation with heavy load shelves

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