July 2015

In a warehouse or distribution center, inventory damage is a big deal. It’s a frustrating, expensive, and time-consuming problem, and even in a well-run facility, occasional product damage is virtually unavoidable.

It’s easy to blame the workers, but pallet rack damage is usually caused by a bad floor plan or inferior shelving. This is especially true for warehouses that utilize every inch of available space...

The first rule of forklift operation is simple: don't run into anything or anyone. Lift truck collisions can mean damaged stock, high fleet repair bills, and even injured workers.

Solus Group, a leading online warehouse equipment supplier, will offer a 15 percent discount on mobile lift tables and scissor lifts throughout the month of July.

In 1989, the U.S. Department of Labor issued a fact sheet titled, “Back Injuries — Nation’s #1 Workplace Safety Problem.” It’s a provocative title, but not misleading. In that year, more than a million back injuries were documented in U.S. workplaces. Manual material handling was the main source of worker’s compensation payments, and 80 percent of injuries related to that field involved the lower back.

Ergonomics is often defined as “matching the work to the worker,” which sounds simple enough — materials simply need to be naturally positioned for workers. The problem, of course, is that workers come in all shapes and sizes.

As every floor worker knows, a warehouse can be a busy place. Stock is constantly being replaced, and lift trucks with full pallet-loads sometimes compete with staff on foot for access to aisles. This mixed-traffic scenario subjects workers to potential risks, however, so it’s far from an ideal practice.