Your warehousing facility may be growing and you suddenly find yourself with more staff and space than you imagined. Posting some tips for safe manual order picking will help keep your staff from injuring themselves while working,

Safe Manual

You do not want to allow the demand for high pick rates to interfere with safety. It is important that staff is not encouraged to rush to increase productivity. Always insure the best and safest practices are being followed. Make sure staff are not working long hours without breaks, as this can lead to accidents.

The Best Working Zone

Teach staff the best working zone rules:

  • Items for manual picking should be located only on shelves that are located between shoulder and knee height.
  • Manual picking items should never be located in an area where reaching or bending is required.
  • Manual picking items should also be a safe and reasonable weight between 8-17kg.
  • Items over 25kg should never be lifted manually to avoid injury.
  • Lift close to the body and always bend with the knees not the back.

Reaching Higher Items

The higher the shelf, the higher the risk for injury. Consider keeping shelves as low as possible to keep the warehouse safe. When reaching higher items it is advised safe equipment is available for staff to access. Make sure they are kept in a safe place out of the way, yet easily accessible so staff doesn’t find it difficult to pull out for use. A platform ladder with a load lifter is the ideal equipment for out of reach items. They offer easy steps up and down from a safe platform that allows for carrying items safely and than a platform for both standing as well as another one for resting the heavy item.

Warehouse Flooring Sydney

Warehouse flooring should be as even and slip free as possible. Making sure aisles are kept free of not just objects but debris will also be helpful in avoiding trips, slips and falls. A slip free coating will also help keep floors safe from slip and falls.