In any business, large or small, workplace safety should be a top priority for employers and employees. Businesses that operate warehouses should be especially diligent about safety. The combination of vehicular traffic including forklifts and trucks, busy pedestrians, heavy boxes, and pallets of goods that are often stacked floor to ceiling makes a warehouse a risky environment. Fortunately, the right safety equipment can reduce risks and keep employees (and the valuables that are stored in the warehouse) safe. According to the materials handling experts at Bastian Solutions, every busy warehouse should include the following three types of safety equipment.
Brightly Colored Column Guards
When a serious accident happens in a busy warehouse, usually there are trucks, a forklift, or other motorized vehicles involved. It takes only a moment of distraction for a driver to lose control or run into a person or object. Support columns that provide the building’s structural integrity are particularly prone to being hit by vehicles that veer off course. Bright column guards do not only alert drivers that the columns are there; they also absorb kinetic injury when a vehicle does crash into a column.
Barrier Railings
Just as precarious roadways have guardrails to protect cars, warehouse throughways should have barrier railings to keep motorized vehicles – and pedestrians – out of harm’s way. Railings can be used to keep people out of areas where dangerous equipment is being operated. They can also be used to physically block motorized vehicles from entering areas of the warehouse that have heavy pedestrian traffic.
Pallet Rack Protection Equipment
Pallet aisle and upright protection equipment protect the goods that are being stored on pallets from being damaged or destroyed by a vehicle collision. If a vehicle rams into a pallet that is not protected by this safety equipment, the pallet will be damaged and cause items to fall over and crash onto the floor. In a high-impact collision, an entire pallet could fall over, potentially setting into motion a domino effect that would cause additional pallets and their inventory to crash to the ground. In other words, without pallet rack protection equipment, a vehicular impact could be disastrous. When this safety equipment is present, it absorbs the impact and stops the vehicle from careening forward into the pallet.
About Newman Crane & Associates Insurance
Deciding what coverages you need and what limits and deductibles make the most sense can be tricky. Since 1965, Newman Crane & Associates Insurance has been helping Central Floridians make sense of their options and make the smartest choices for their circumstances. Whether you need Warehouse Insurance or any other type of coverage, we encourage you to contact our friendly, experienced, and capable team today. Call us at (407) 859-3691 for a consultation.