Safety First
What does it look like when a warehouse maximizes safety? Workers using tools and methods that inherently mitigate risk. Task automation perhaps plays the biggest role. Repetitive tasks and high-stress movements both cause workplace injuries. Powered pushers and other material handling solutions take away these strains.
The UK’s health and safety news leaders at SHP Online recommend this 5-point plan to improve warehouse safety:
#1. Ongoing safety practices. When starting a new safety protocol, make sure that the best practices continue over time rather than being a one-time meeting or announcement.
#2. Technology should be used to make operations easier and safer. Use tools to improve posture and lifting technique. Powered pushers reduce the risk of common warehouse injuries to the back and neck.
#3. Study “near misses” to prevent accidents that are likely to recur.
#4. Personal protective equipment (PPE) provides a safety net. Focus more on safe practices for prevention, but also use PPE that employees find comfortable.
#5. Communication should be open and frequent. Conduct regular huddles as opposed to only offering formal complaint and suggestion methods.
Not sure where to start? In many warehouses, the heavy carts carrying inventory or equipment create the biggest strain on workers. Powered pushers let any employee maneuver thousands of pounds of weight with the push of a button.
Back, shoulder, groin, and other musculoskeletal injuries take a toll on worker health, and those injuries threaten your operating efficiency as well. For more info on powered cart pushers and pullers for warehouses, talk to us at DJProducts.com about our variety of injury-specific warehouse safety tools.