How Safety And Material Handling Create A Productive Work

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The Importance Of Material Handling

• Material handling is a critical component of virtually all warehousing or manufacturing facilities.

• Transporting both raw and finished products is the true gauge of process efficiency.

• Safety issues concerning material handling is as important as the moving process itself.

• Without a proper and safe process, material handling can turn into a catastrophe.

The Risks Of Material Handling• Improper lifting and material handling can cause on

the job injuries such as back, neck and musculoskeletal injuries.

• Nearly 50% of all non-fatal workplace incidents are due to mishandling materials.

• According to NIOSH, forklifts, the ultimate material handling vehicle, cause roughly 100 fatalities and 20,000 injuries a year.

• Implementing proper safety measures is crucial to ensure material handling is done correctly and employees stay safe.

The Elements Of Safe Overhead Operations

• Special care is a requirement whenever moving inventory from overhead or through a work area via a crane.

• Materials dropped from rigging or cranes can cause injuries, equipment damage or even death.

• It’s important to never lift and transport materials in an area where workers are currently located.

• To ensure proper clearance, ropes can be used to section off foot traffic areas that cross under overhead cranes.

Ensuring Rigging Safety• Every part of the rigging system,

including the hoist rings, has to be adequately sized.

• Calculate the maximum load the overhead system will handle and implement hoist rings and rigging systems that can handle twice the maximum load.

• Utilizing rigging systems and hoist rings that can manage twice the maximum load ensures a safe operation even through load shifts, minor wear and tear, etc.

Ensuring Rigging Safety Against Corrosion• It’s also important to consider the materials of

construction when designing overhead material handling systems.

• The rated load for hoist rings and other components is just one element of adequate design.

• Chemical resistance, erosion resistance and other factors must be considered.

• Incorporating coated or plated carbon steel chains and hoist rings can help resist and prevent corrosion.

Managing Pedestrian Safety With Forklifts

• Causing over 100 fatalities annually, forklifts can pose a serious threat to workplace safety.

• Communication is the most critical component when striving for a safe forklift truck material handling environment.

• Every worker must have a solid understanding of the paths traveled by the forklift within the facility, as well as areas safe for pedestrian traffic.

• The forklift safety program must be clearly illustrated so even visitors can easily understand the process.

Other Important Factors In Forklift Truck Safety

• Posting a wide variety of signs outlining the forklift safety information can help reinforce process.

• Every entrance to a designated forklift area should have signage announcing the trucks’s presence.

• Signs with stands are perfect for construction or temporary factors.

• All forklift operators must be properly certified.

• Certified operators should be periodically sent for certification renewal to keep driving and safe operating skills sharp.

Safety With Manual Material Handling

• Manual material handling can cause back and neck injuries due to unsafe loading, carrying and lifting.

• Rushing is a major source of injuries in manual material handling.

• Each worker should only attempt to lift whatever he is comfortable with while following proper material handling procedures and techniques.

• When following these procedures, gloves, safety glasses, steel toed boots and other personal protective equipment should be provided to circumvent injury.

Maintaining Safe Material Handling With Forklifts

• Forklift vehicles do provide an excellent way to safely move materials when operated properly.

• Although pallets are the most common forklift accessory, there are many add-ons that can be used to perform forklift functions both effectively and safely.

• These forklift materials provide companies with safe material handling methods without the added expense of purchasing various dedicated tools and gear.

Forklift Accessories And Safe Material Handling

• Forklift accessories can be used to hoist various forms of stock and materials.

• Extensions will enable a forklift truck to effectively transport objects with unequal and uneven girth.

• Booms can be used in the place of forks to manage items a traditional forklift can not.

• Specifically shaped tines can grab items and even safely hold man baskets.

• Dumpers and hoppers efficiently move and dump various materials of all sizes and textures.

• These items, combined with a properly executed operation plan, can create a productive work environment and reinforce safe material handling throughout the facility.

Reid SupplyReid Supply Company has been providing customers with safe and efficient industrial products since 1948. With an unparalleled inventory of product, we are confident that we will help you find the industrial supplies you are looking for.