Posts Tagged :

forklift safety

Pallet racking safety

 509 339 IRIA
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Racking collapses can be caused by a number of different things. Inadequate training of staff, previous damage and unrepaired damage, missing parts, for example, base plates, safety clips, or twisted base plates.

It is not only loss of life that results from racking collapses, other side effects include, the inability to service your clients, therefore loss of turnover, the costs involved in the replacement of collapsed racking and damaged to your stock and the potential legal action by workers if there was to be a work place accident.

Organising for your racking to be inspected by an independent racking inspection company ensures the most economical means of maintaining your racking as they can inspect all brands of racking independently with no selling precedence, this is especially important if you have multiple brands on your site and want an independent unbiased inspection.

To have your racking inspected, click here to get a quote or contact IRIA

Steel racking Safety

 941 1000 IRIA
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The very real risk of fatal workplace accidents is a concern for all managers and employees; therefore, these risks need to be addressed through controls such as safety awareness and training.

It has been identified that most racking failures are a direct result of unqualified people changing racking, bumping into racking with forklifts or not fixing potentially fatal racking hazards.

It is important that all workplaces have regular safety inspections, and all repairs are attended to in order to ensure the safety of workers. By having six to twelve monthly workplace safety inspections such as a racking safety inspection, this is one way to help reduce workplace fatalities.

Utilising state of the art processes and technology IRIA provides regular, unbiased, fully documented racking inspections and audits. IRIA can implement a racking safety inspection regime that will ensure your compliance with the appropriate standards.

 

Young man’s leg crushed by approx a tonne of falling pallets from a forklift in NSW

 600 374 IRIA
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A tradesman has been crushed by a stack of pallets weighing about a tonne in a horror worksite accident west of Sydney.

A tradesman was crushed by a falling stack of pallets weighing an estimated one tonne in a horror workplace accident this morning. Several ambulance and police crews rushed to the Bond Crescent building site in Wetherill Park, west of Sydney, just after 10.30am.

The 24-year-old man suffered a serious leg injury and was briefly pinned beneath the debris, before paramedics cleared the pallets, which had fallen from a forklift.

The CareFlight rescue helicopter was called and landed in a vacant field near the site, with a specialist doctor and critical care paramedic providing treatment to the worker.

“Observation was continued by the CareFlight medical team as he was transported by road ambulance to Liverpool Hospital in a stable condition,” a CareFlight spokesperson said.

SafeWork NSW will now investigate the incident.

Author:  Shannon Molloy

Edited:   Kati Carr

Source:  www.news.com.au

Man crushed to death by falling pallets from a forklift

 800 533 IRIA
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Company fined over forklift incident

Auckland – A major freight distribution and logistics company in New Zealand was sentenced following an incident in which a worker was crushed to death by falling pallets that were being moved from a train wagon by forklift in September 2016.

The man was standing beside the forklift. The pallets it was carrying fell and struck the worker as the driver was reversing. The victim died at the scene.

An investigation into the incident found that the company did not identify the risk of a pedestrian being hit by freight falling from forklift tines and that its system relied on administrative controls that were ambiguous and contradictory.

“Administrative controls like rules and procedures are simply not enough, pedestrians need to be segregated from forklift activity,” said WorkSafe Deputy General Manager, Investigations and Specialist Services, Simon Humphries.

Mr. Humphries said that more should be done to protect workers and ensure their safety.

“Fixed barriers to separate people from moving plant don’t work in every workplace, but a temporary barrier and warning signage would have kept the victim outside of the dangerous area and alive.”

The company was fined $506,300. Reparations of $118,020.10 were ordered for emotional harm and consequential loss in addition to payments of $105,000 already provided to the family of the victim. The company was also ordered to pay costs of $6030.

Author:     Haydee

Source.   www.safetyculture.com.au  

The Risk of Warehouse Rack Collapse

 150 150 IRIA
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Warehouses can be great places to work as long as they are safe. The use of forklifts, other heavy machinery and the misuse of racking systems can lead to a rack collapse. Even the most skilled forklift drivers occasionally bump into the racks which can damage their structural integrity. However, the proper use of rack guards and basic warehouse safety, can greatly minimize the chance of a rack collapse.

It is difficult to determine the probability of a rack collapse because every warehouse is different and there are multiple variables involved in each incident such as the speed of the vehicle, the type of rack, what is on the rack and more. Having properly installed rack guards helps to significantly decrease the chance of rack failure and helps prevent a domino effect that could potentially bring down every rack in a warehouse.

Warehouse racks are carefully engineered structures capable of holding large loads and massive amounts of products. If one part of the rack gets damaged, the integrity of the entire structure could become compromised.

Racking systems can collapse for many reasons such as overloading the racks beyond the manufacturer’s specifications, lack of maintenance and the most common reason: forklift impact. About 90 percent of rack failure can be attributed to forklift impact, says MJ Thomas, marketing and public relations specialist, Sentry Protection Products, Lakewood, Ohio.

Forklifts are going to hit racks, it’s simply part of working in a warehouse. In fact, nearly 20,000 workers are injured in forklift accidents each year. To minimize the impact of forklift collision and decrease the chance of a rack collapse, distributors protect the vulnerable areas of the racks. This is where rack guards can make all of the difference.

Author:   Angelica Dudenhoefer of Angelica Communications.

Employer, Safety and Security must be top priority

 150 150 IRIA
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For an employer, the safety and security of their workers must be a top priority. In a warehouse environment, careful planning and dedication to safety are the keys to keeping your workers injury-free.

While it may be tempting to occasionally disregard safety procedures to save time or resources, this practice is never worth the risk in the long term. Creating and maintaining a safe working environment improves productivity and employee satisfaction. Below are guidelines on the biggest risk factors in warehouses and how to avoid accidents.

Handling Materials

Handling items is one of the main activities for any warehouse worker and as such, it is a frequent source of issues. Boxes, pallets or cartons being dropped, mishandled or incorrectly stored can cause injuries as well as damaging equipment. The safe movement of products around your facility should be one of your main considerations when designing or redesigning the area.

Lifting and Straining

Workers in your warehouse are likely to spend a lot of time reaching, pulling and pushing items around or into place. When dealing with a heavy product the risks are clear, but even with materials that aren’t weighty or bulky, the repeated action of lifting or carrying can cause repetitive strain injuries. To keep everyone safe, staff must be well trained in manual handling and made aware of the risks of repetitive actions. This way, minor injuries aren’t allowed to develop into a permanent problem.

Damaged or Inferior Storage

Your racking, shelving and equipment are the backbones of your warehouse so it’s vital that they are kept in good shape. Never buy inferior products and always obey guidelines as to what type and weight of items can be stored where.

Forklift Accidents

Unfortunately, forklift accidents can be serious. It is essential that anyone operating a lifting vehicle is properly trained and that this training is ongoing with regular refresher courses. This ensures that best practices are kept up to date and correct procedure isn’t forgotten or neglected over time.

A great way to minimise the risk of forklift accidents is to keep vehicles separate from pedestrians as much as possible. Using a live racking storage system, you can have aisles that are exclusively for the use of one group of workers, with a physical barrier between forklifts and pickers.

Author:     Storage Ideas

Source:    www.industrysearch.com.au

Edited:     Katie Carr