Members of all SEMA groups are on-side, getting the message out there that by specifying SEMA, a buyer can be confident that safe efficient storage comes as standard. Visit www.sema.org.uk in early 2016 as a fresh new website with improved architecture and navigation will offer greater accessibility to essential information. A best practice video focussing on SEMA Approved Installation Companies (SAICs) will also go live in early 2016.

SEMA’s two annual events, the SEMA Standards Seminar and the SEMA Safety Conference were well attended and included presentations from statutory authorities, SEMA’s own technical committee and visiting speakers. IN 2016, the SEMA Standards Seminar takes place on 8th June and the SEMA Safety Conference on 3rd November.

The updated SEMA Cantilever Code of Practice has been published and a new cantilever module to the SARI qualification (SEMA’s approved rack inspectors) has been launched. SEMA’s also working on new proposed installation guidelines for APR and pallet safety gates on mezzanines.

April’s new CDM regulations are causing some end-user consternation as clients are now regarded as the head of the procurement chain and the major influence on project standards and culture. A project is deemed to be more than a construction site.

To keep its own members up to speed, SEMA organised a CDM presentation from Tony Mitchell, a Principal Inspector at the HSE at its first SEMA Group Combined Meeting in September. ASDA’s Safety, Health and Environmental Manager, Neil Sheehan outlined at the November conference how ASDA has implemented the new legislation.

SEMA is also supporting end users with a rack maintenance course which covers the difference between maintenance and repair, the skills required to replace racking components and how to replace them. It also covers hazard and risk assessments and relevant legislation. A rack safety awareness course looks in-depth at the need for rack inspections, conducting assessments and follow-on procedures.

2015 is the first year that SEMA Distributor Companies have all been able to prove their capabilities by displaying their Audit Certificate. Unsurprisingly, there’s been a growth in membership from similar quality firms recognising value in membership.

SEMA and SEIRS courses enjoy both CSCS and RoSPA approval and there’s recognition that SEIRS is the only industry based training programme which makes refresher courses mandatory. There’s a new SEIRS course on shelving to service the growth in e-commerce. SEMA’s latest ToolBox talk is on Hard Hats and these site briefings now number 40+.

After two years of fighting OSHA safety citations, Unicold Corp. has agreed to fix the problems identified at its Honolulu site by OSHA and pay the fines associated with the safety violations.

OSHA in February 2013 found nearly every door at the facility blocked, locked or inaccessible, and noted the use of ammonia as a refrigerant, among other hazards.

“The department will not allow Unicold or other employers to allow dangerous conditions that put workers in a potential death trap,” said Janet Herold, the department’s regional solicitor in San Francisco…”

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Food Warehouse that OSHA Called a ‘Death Trap’ Agrees to Improve Safety

Working in a warehouse can be a dangerous proposition. The complexity of running the facility in an efficient and speedy manner combined with heavy equipment makes it hard to track everything, and the moment someone loses their focus or concentration, bad things can happen.
Safety officers for warehouses have a difficult job since they have to worry about everything, from unsafe forklift usage, improper product stacking, failure to use proper PPE and lockout/tagout procedures, and even repetitive stress injuries.
With all that, it should come as no surprise that according to OSHA, the fatal injury rate of the warehousing industry is higher than the national average for all industries. The fact is, we have the ability to lower the accident rates in our warehouses today.
While we don’t have time to handle all of the issues that one will face in securing a warehouse, we will touch on some of the bigger issues such as forklifts, material storage and ergonomics. Some of these are the biggest causes of accidents, injuries and deaths in any facility.
Tips and tricks to lower accident rates in your warehouse:

Forklift Safety:
Forklifts should meet the design and construction requirements in the American National Standard for Powered Industrial Trucks (ANSI B56.1-1969).
Nameplates and markings should be in place and maintained in legible condition.
Forklifts for hazardous location use should be appropriately marked and approved for such use.
Forklifts need to be properly positioned and brakes applied during maintenance checks and repairs
Forklift operators should have completed training and an evaluation conducted and certified by persons with the knowledge, training and experience to train operators and evaluate their performance.
The training program content should include all truck-related topics, workplace related topics and the requirements of 29 CFR 1910.178 for safe truck operation.
Refresher training and evaluation should be conducted whenever an operator has been observed operating the vehicle in an unsafe manner or has been involved in an accident or a near-miss incident.
Each operator’s performance should be evaluated at least once every three years.
Operators must observe all traffic regulations, including authorized plant speed limits.
All loads should be stable, safely arranged and fit within the rated capacity of the truck.
Trucks are regularly checked for safety before being placed into service.

Materials Storage
All loads must be stacked evenly and straight.
Heavier loads should be placed on lower or middle shelves.
Aisles and passageways must be maintained and in good repair and all obstructions removed.
Ergonomics
Use powered equipment instead of requiring a manual lift for heavy materials.
Re-position the shelf or bin to lower the lifting height required by workers.
Ensure overhead lighting is sufficient for workers.
Keep floors clean and free of slip and trip hazards.

For Original Article Click:
Tips to Lower Accident Rates in Warehouses

Vacant loading docks create a dangerous drop of more than one meter. Safety barriers effectively barricades openings, preventing dock personnel – and in particular those driving fork lift trucks – from falling over the edge.

The brutality of this dangerous drop-off is often recognized only after it is too late and a serious accident has happened. Unfortunately the number of people killed each year in the UK falling from vehicles and moving equipment has risen during the last three years by 50%. Additionally, 52 people were critically injured in 2008/9 in connection with forklift truck accidents (source: HSC national statistics).

Pulled manually across vacant loading docks, safety barriers are a simple, easy-to-use solution for almost any loading dock.

During hot, summer months, the safety barrier can be used instead of the dock door, allowing fresh air to circulate whilst shielding employees from any risk.

Stupid warehouse tricks: Unsafe horseplay caught on video

An employee engaged in unsafe horseplay at work. He got warnings, including a final one, but was caught once again on videotape. He was fired, and the case eventually went to court.

Thomas Ayres worked at Wal-Mart. The company has a policy prohibiting “practices that may be inconsistent with ordinary and reasonable common sense safety rules,” such as “horseplay.”

Ayres engaged in an activity he called “surfing” — riding on pieces of cardboard on gravity roller conveyors.

A manager warned Ayres this was against policy. Ayres acknowledged this type of conduct was an “unsafe procedure.”

He was issued warnings several times for rules violations, and eventually received a final warning. A worker at Wal-Mart who violates any policy after a final warning is automatically terminated.

Sometime after receiving that warning, Ayres reported that he had dropped a wooden pallet and injured his toe.

While investigating, Wal-Mart managers viewed a videotape of Ayres’ work area on the day he was injured. On the video, Ayres and several of his co-workers can be seen trying to jump over two stacks of wooden pallets.

Ayres started running toward the pallets from about 20 feet away and then tried to jump over them. He attempted this three or four times and then did a cartwheel off the side of the stack of pallets. This happened about an hour after Ayres injured his foot.

Wal-Mart fired Ayres for engaging in horseplay.

The state determined he was ineligible for unemployment benefits because he was fired for misconduct.

Ayres appealed, with the case eventually going to a state court. He argued that his actions didn’t amount to employment misconduct.

The court rejected Ayres’ argument. It ruled the horseplay he engaged in did amount to employment misconduct — unemployment benefits denied.