When it comes to material handling, there are plenty of risks involved, especially if you are doing it manually. It is important for every warehouse manager to provide their staff with a safe working environment to avoid injuries and to enhance productivity.
That is why material handling shouldn’t be taken lightly because it’s risky and can cost you a lot of money and time if not done right. Material handling injuries are not only expensive, but they can also decrease the morale of your staff.
So, it is highly recommended that you take the necessary measures to ensure that the materials in your warehouse are being handled safely.
In this article, I have mentioned a few material handling tips that will help you make your workplace safer.
Let’s take a look:
Reduce Ergonomic Risk Factors
You have to monitor ergonomic risk factors carefully when you are doing material handling manually. Ergonomic here refers to the unnecessary fatigue in your stuff that can be caused by material handling.
These risk factors include:
- Uncomfortable Postures that can be caused by twisting and bending
- Repetitive motions your staff is engaging in like lifting and carrying material
- Strong exertions caused by lifting heavy materials
Once you have identified the ergonomic factors in your workplace, all you need to do is ensure that every worker has been assigned work that is within their physical abilities.
This will ensure that your staff stays healthy and no one has to deal with any injuries.
Use Conveyor Systems
Another way of making your workplace safer is to use conveyor systems. If you are handling too much material on a daily basis, then it is only wise to invest in a conveyor system that will save you plenty of time and money.
It will also make things easier for your staff, and they will be able to focus on more important tasks. One of the biggest benefits of a conveyor system is that you can load, unload, and move as many items as you can once you have installed it.
If you want to learn more about installing a conveyor system in your warehouse, you can visit Mainway Handling to learn more about it.
Provide Protective Equipment
It is crucial for every warehouse to provide their staff with protective equipment as it is a matter of safety. It doesn’t matter if the risks involved in material handling are high or low; you have to ensure that your staff is equipped with safety gear.
Even with conveyor systems installed, your staff will still be doing some of the material handlings, and for that, they will need protective gear. Provide your staff with eye protection, gloves, boots, helmets, plastic guards, and metal fibers.
Using this protective equipment is vital because it can help your staff avoid plenty of minor and major injuries and will provide them a safe working environment.
Train Your Staff
If your staff is not trained and doesn’t have enough education on how to avoid workplace accidents, then accidents are bound to happen.
It is highly recommended that you educate your staff about workplace safety and how they can handle materials in a much safer way.
For this purpose, you can hold training seminars weekly and guide your employees more about how to carry out certain procedures.
Also, the part of your staff that deals with machinery, vehicles, and other sorts of equipment you should educate them on how to use them safely and what things they need to avoid.
You should also educate them about using the right movement techniques and the exercises they can do to stay fit and healthy.
