Creating a secure and streamlined approach to handling your inventory and its materials is not only key to operational efficiency, it also contributes significantly to a safer work environment for your team. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the essential material handling procedures and equipment necessary for smooth operation and efficient material handling in your facility while minimizing the risks involved. Let's explore these practices together to enhance workplace safety and keep your industrial space running seamlessly.
The materials your team manages have significant value in terms of revenue, investment, and basic assets. Damaged materials don’t just mean lost revenue, they also incur additional costs related to time, manpower, and restocking. Safeguarding your assets promotes not only cost avoidance but the overall health and safety of your employees and your business.
As we’ve said already, the right guidelines and protective equipment will not only reduce damage and loss of valuable material, but will also reduce the risk of injury to your workers, and in turn will lower employee stress and improve morale.
There are several core products to consider when it comes to safe materials planning. These are products you’re likely to use regardless of the kind of facility you’re running:
Now that we know the basic products and tools we’ll be working with, it’s time to discuss the process behind making your workplace material handling as safe and efficient as possible.
There are two types of material handling damage: damage to the materials in motion and damage to the shelving, equipment, and other items encountered in your facility. Ensuring the protection of both the items being moved and those likely to be encountered during the process is essential to material handling safety.
Proper protective equipment is a key part of material handling damage prevention, and there are a large number of different kinds of such equipment you may need to invest in, depending on the needs of your facility. Most of these can be broken down between general protective equipment and personal protective equipment, generally referred to as PPE.
Protective guards, guard rails, and bollards in industrial and commercial spaces provide physical barriers and prevent accidental collisions or damage. They’re strategically placed to protect buildings, equipment, and people either by absorbing or rerouting the impact of collisions. They’re therefore especially common in spaces like parking garages.
Machinery guards are safety devices used to protect operators and nearby personnel from industrial machinery hazards. There are four different kinds of machinery guards.
Racking guards are protective devices that shield equipment racks and shelving from damage caused by material handling equipment such as forklifts or pallet jacks.
Corner and Column Protectors are safety devices made out of durable materials like plastic or metal that shield warehouse racks, building columns, and other standing structures from collision damage.
Signage is fairly self-explanatory: whether removable or permanently installed, signage (typical safety sign examples would include “no exit,” “stop,” “hard hat area,” and “hazardous materials” is a crucial part of safe operations in any facility, in general, and in particular when it comes to safe material handling.
Like signage, lighting is somewhat self-explanatory and can include warehouse safety lights, spot lighting, blue lighting on warehouse vehicles, and an area’s general lighting scheme. Some areas won’t require the use of extra lighting, but the general lighting of all areas should prioritize maximum visibility wherever it can.
Pallet Jack Toe Guard Protectors are designed to protect the toes of operators from injuries caused by the wheel’s pallet jacks during operation. They’re an excellent example of what’s called “cross safety equipment,” meaning equipment that is installed on equipment but is primarily designed to protect workers.
PPE includes a large number of familiar items such as vests, hard hats, steel toe boots, eye protection, sound protection such as earmuffs or even silicon earplugs, and a variety of glove types. You can find out what Global Industrial has to offer in PPE here.
Adopting material handling best practices will not only mitigate workplace risks to both personnel and equipment, it will also translate into substantial overhead cost savings. By understanding the proper protective equipment needed and prioritizing all possible protective measures along with their efficient execution, facilities can protect the bottom line from the impact of damaged materials, operational downtime, and legal liabilities. Finally, the morale boost workers get from knowing everything has been done to protect them during their work will translate into a happier and more productive workplace.
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