Skip to content

For all the discussion of employee safety in the workplace, including installing partitions, safety rails, and more, there’s one important aspect that tends to get overlooked – material handling. In many types of warehouse and factory settings, the deceptively simple act of transporting materials and supplies from one area to another can still carry its own set of risks and hazards. Luckily, there’s easy ways to minimize these risks with the use of proper equipment and best practices such as these:

 

Reduce Lifting with Material Carts

Material handling carts might sound like a given, but they actually provide a lot more benefits to workers’ health and safety than you might expect. Keep an eye on the size and dimensions of the cart you use – longer carts can help distribute the weight better to reduce strain when pushing, and longer handles will provide different heights for different people, to prevent back injuries from poor posture while operating the cart.

 

Keep Work Areas Clear

This should be a given when working in high-traffic areas of a facility, but keeping work areas clear is especially important when it comes to material handling. If any heavy material needs to be moved between areas, instruct your employees to only lift materials in clean and well-lit areas. Lighting is important to maintain safe visibility, and keeping the space clear is crucial for maintaining proper footing and prevent dropping or injury.

 

Proper Shelving to Reduce Pushing and Pulling

Many injuries or strains related to the workplace come from repetitive motions such as pushing or pulling heavy loads to transport materials. Installing special shelving in your facility such as gravity flow racks can help reduce the amount of physical effort your workers have to put in to lift, store, or transport heavier loads of material and supplies and could further help to prevent shoulder, arm, or back surgery.

 

Train Employees On Proper Material Handling

A lot of your employees might roll their eyes when it comes to training on correct lifting, but the health and safety benefits of proper lifting are hard to ignore and crucial for a safe workplace. Inform your employees about proper lifting technique and make sure these practices are adhered to in order to help reduce the overall risk of injury.

 

Hopefully these tips will keep your workers safe and your operations flowing smoothly!

Comments are closed.

Back to top