Manual Materials Handling
Manual materials handling can easily produce back and hand injuries. In fact, back injuries result in the most-expensive claims within industry.
Develop employee awareness regarding pinch points. Hand traps can occur while setting down heavy boxes; working near pulleys in conveyor belts; adjusting lift truck forks; operating walkies; shutting trailer doors; and manually handling product. Proper-fitting gloves provide additional protection.
Identify fixed pinch points (e.g., the two horizontal doors that come together on a freight elevator) with yellow paint or black-and-yellow-striped tape. Post appropriate signage as well.
Place guards on any moving gears or hazardous rollers to protect hands and other body parts.
To ease manual lifting, add handles to containers. Train employees in proper lifting techniques bend at the knees, keep close to the load, and use the arms and legs to lift. They should also know how to shift feet not twist at the waist when turning with a load.
Charging Stations for Equipment
To allow powered equipment to function, a refuelling or recharging area is needed. Units may be powered by gasoline, diesel, liquid petroleum gas (LPG), compressed natural gas (CNG) or battery. Thus, in areas where vehicles are refuelled or recharged, management must exercise special care to reduce the risk of fire and explosion. Some guidelines follow.
Ensure that refuelling systems are professionally designed for the specific risk. The manufacturer should provide guidelines regarding system design or safety features.
Prohibit smoking and open flames in and around charging stations and post signage reinforcing these restrictions. Ensure that fire extinguishers are readily available and fully charged. Dry chemical or CO2 are the most effective extinguisher types. In addition, automatic fire suppressant discharging systems (such as CO2) can facilitate effective response during an emergency.
Consult with the local authorities to determine the required distance (based on fire codes) between the filling station and a building structure.
Verify that safety devices for vapor recovery, flash arrestors, automatic shut-offs, etc., are in place and in good operating condition.
Equip battery-charging areas with an eyewash unit that will provide at least 15 continuous minutes of running water. Depending on the potential exposure, a full drench shower may also be required.
Post information about extinguisher placement and job hazard analysis near the chargers, along with an informational placard from the battery company.
Provide equipment to protect against battery acid (e.g., rubber gloves, rubber apron, goggles, face shield and rubber boots). If LPG trucks are used, provide appropriate gear for changing tanks.
Mount circuit breaker boxes or wall disconnects near chargers (should they need to be shut off in the event of emergency or maintenance). Properly identify boxes or controls and indicate voltage. Enforce lockout/tagout procedures.
If cranes or hoists are used to handle batteries, inspect cranes and hoisting slings. Ensure that hook latches and appropriate PPE are available. In addition, a competent person (preferably from a crane firm) must inspect the cranes each year.
Fire Safety
Many warehouses are protected by automatic sprinkler systems. As noted, management must be sure that the product stored can be extinguished by this system should a fire occur. Management should take the following steps to make sure a warehouse is protected against fire.
nspect sprinkler systems and conduct flow and alarm testing each month. Document inspections. Having professionals periodically evaluate the fire prevention system and complete a facility emergency plan will pay dividends.
Store all flammables and plastics according to code. Plastics fires are much hotter and may render a standard sprinkler system ineffective.
nspect fire hoses and extinguishers regularly. Remove any obstructions and make sure these items are readily available. Only employees trained in appropriate firefighting techniques should handle this equipment.
Perform annual fire drills and practice emergency drills. Post large emergency evacuation maps throughout the facility.
Develop an emergency plan that assigns specific tasks to certain employees.
Train all employees in basic principles of firefighting including how to identify fire types and use extinguishers. Local fire departments or firms that provide extinguisher recharging services can provide on-the-job training.
Maintain fire alarms, smoke detectors and emergency lighting in proper operating condition.
Chemical Exposure
Chemical exposure is not unusual at a dock. For example, a lift truck fork could easily puncture a container holding solvent with a low flashpoint, which may result in fire or explosion. Containers may be damaged if dropped. Other exposures range from everyday use of chemicals to battery acid. To protect employees, management must take several key steps.
Provide information (at least MSDS) for each chemical in the facility. This is best achieved by filing MSDS in binders and storing the binders in key locations Chemical manufacturers must provide this information to the purchaser (warehouse). The purchaser must also provide MSDS to new purchasers of product from the warehouse.
Maintain a master chemical inventory and number each chemical. A matching number should accompany each MSDS (using tabbed reference sheets).
Provide spill clean-up kits in any area where chemicals are stored. For example, a battery acid spill is foreseeable in the battery-charging area. Therefore, a clean-up kit should be available.
Develop and implement a written spill control plan. Train employees to clean up spills, protect themselves and properly dispose of used materials.
To minimize risk of container damage, store chemicals safely and securely. Do not stack heavy loads atop small chemical-holding containers, because the weight could easily crush the smaller containers. Where possible, store chemicals away from lift truck traffic areas.
Provide PPE and enforce its use.
Monitor and control carbon monoxide (CO) exposure caused by use of propane-powered lift trucks. To prevent exposure, use battery-powered equipment. If this is not possible, tune-up propane trucks or add catalytic converters to reduce CO from combustion engines. In addition, install CO alarms and test air quality on a regular basis (with calibrated instruments)…..
For full original Article Click the link below:
Warehouse Safety