Factories and warehouses can often be subject to wear and tear due to accidents involving large pieces of equipment like forklifts, and thus it is necessary to install measures to protect against damage to the infrastructure. Taking precautions before problems occur is the best way to ensure that your building lasts longer and that it remains in better condition.
The following are just a few of the ways to protect your building from harm due to work related activities.
Install Safety Barriers
In areas where there are going to be forklifts cruising by, it is known that there will occasionally be crashes. When this happens, oftentimes the vehicle will collide with the wall, causing denting or other issues with the building (as well as the need for repairs that can be costly and time consuming).
In order to keep your warehouse from incurring this sort of damage, you can strategically place impact-resistant safety products such as flexible safety barriers that are designed to absorb the impact of forklifts and other heavy machinery. Because their construction is modular, you can install these wherever you desire and according to your specific time frame, and they are designed to retain their shape after impact.
Protect Your Racks
Your racks are likely going to be filled with products, boxes, and other assorted items. Not only is there the potential for material loss when your racks are impacted, but there is also the real possibility that any people stocking shelves can become seriously injured or trapped when racks crash into one another, creating a domino effect.
To prevent against this, you can install column guards to protect against forklifts whose drivers may have oversteered. The columns are generally attached to the base of the rack, and they will keep the rack from being impacted by the forklift. It is understood that drivers operate under deadlines and in tight spaces, so it only makes sense to prepare ahead of time to keep everyone safe.
Using Racks Correctly
One of the most important aspects of your setup is the spacing between racks. While many companies will be tempted to place racks together to increase product storage, this can actually lead to lower productivity levels, as employees will have to navigate these areas much more slowly in their workplace vehicles. Spacing that is too close can also be a leading cause of error, so proper spacing is essential to a workplace that will have fewer accidents (resulting in less building damage).
Another thing to avoid is overloading racks. This is because overloading can cause the shelving structure to deteriorate over time, and it can lead to devastating material losses, personnel injuries, and damage to the building. Workers must also be trained in the proper placement of pallets on racks, making sure to do so evenly in order to prevent the rack from collapsing unexpectedly.
Be Prepared for Water Spills
In the event that your building should experience a problem with flooding, it helps to be prepared ahead of time. Having the proper insurances in place can go a long way toward making any necessary reparations. Another helpful thing is to have some tools on hand to help with cleaning up large liquid spills, and this is particularly of use if your industry is one in which you store great quantities of liquid product.
Stocking up on humidifiers and dryers can help you to get a head start on addressing spills before a crew can come to the scene. It helps to have protocol in place in the event of flooding or a spill, and staff should know how to turn off the water to the entire warehouse. It should also be a part of the building’s general maintenance that staff regularly make sure that drains are clear of debris. This will help to prevent any permanent damage to the building’s infrastructure.
If you work in a fast-paced environment and want to protect workers from hazard and your building from damage, invest in the above methods of prevention and make vigilance a priority in the workspace.