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How Safe is Your Facility?
Posted by Stephanie on June 23, 2022
June is National Safety Month and as it comes to an end we’d like to shed light on the best practices and applications for warehouse safety. Our industry is made up of many sectors that cover the storage and transportation of goods. For this, we offer several products and services that safeguard your facility against damage and/or prevent worker injuries.
Below are some areas to consider and inspect for safety compliance.
Dock Safety
We have all seen the famous “Warehouse Fails” videos of carrier unloading gone wrong. If you know, you know, but if you don’t; you can check it out here. Investing in the right equipment for your dock is key to maintaining a high level of productivity while minimizing the chance of injuries. Here at QMH, we carry and fabricate various types of dock equipment to ensure you can load and unload in a safe and efficient manner. Utilizing the right equipment per your facility’s needs is the best way to prevent injury. This is based on your existing dock space conditions and warehouse equipment (forklifts, pallet jacks, etc.).
We also fabricate forklift ramps and custom dock platforms for facilities without docks. Every component that goes into the fabrication of our ramps and platforms, serves a purpose in the safe usage of our products. Safety features include Serrated grating for maximum traction, safety chains, optional handrails for pedestrian usage, and more.
There are other forms of dock safety solutions like dock gates, reflective guides, and bollards. Learn more about our Dock Solutions here.
Fire Safety
As a general contractor, we can handle all of your facility’s needs including Fire Protection. When planning the design of your warehouse, we determine the best and safest way to store your commodity. Recently, we’ve received many inquiries on our high pile permitting services since more cities are now requiring facilities to be code compliant. To learn more about fire safety and our services, read our blog: Fire Safety: Are You Protected Against A Fire?
Rack Safety
Rack inspections, repairs, and damage prevention are crucial to maintaining a safe work environment. Racks should be frequently inspected, and if necessary repaired, so they remain in robust form. Impact on upright frames can weaken the structure and potentially cause damage to your stored goods or worse, cause worker injuries. There are many options to help prevent damage to the rack structure including capacity signs for max load guidelines, flue space maintenance, column guards for column protection, and more.
Checkout out our FAQ on how to Prevent Rack Damage.
Safe Warehouse Operations
Warehouse operations vary from one facility to the next. Operating safely will depend on the type of facility and commodity being stored and/or produced. Below are a few products that help maintain a safe working environment and make your facility more secure.
Security cages
Wire cages offer commodity protection and theft prevention. This is the ideal solution to control unauthorized access, protect machines and equipment, and to store valuable equipment. Different types of cages include wire partitions, DEA-approved storage cages, Rack enclosures, and more.
Guard Solutions
Guard solutions include Pedestrian Guard Railing (to protect walkways), Bollards (to protect against impact), and Steel Guide Angles (to protect racks from impact).
Safety Storage Cabinets
We cannot emphasize more the importance of utilizing the appropriate form of storage based on the type of commodity. Chemicals and acids should be stored in corrosive cabinets. Flammable and combustible liquids should be stored in appropriate flammable storage cabinets. HazMat storage done right reduces the chance of incidents and protects the employees from exposure to dangerous chemicals.
Personal Protective Equipment
Utilizing the appropriate PPE will help minimize exposure to hazards in the workplace that can cause serious injury. Per OSHA standard, 1910.132, employers must provide personal protective equipment to their workers, ensure its proper use, and train workers on the matter. Read the OSHA standards for more information on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Need to reassess or help implement safety practices in your facility?
