Charge Up Your Productivity by Cleaning Up the Battery Room

Many warehouses and distribution centers take time in the first quarter to thoroughly clean and organize their facilities. Earlier this month, we talked about cleaning and organizing the warehouse to kick off the New Year and how to establish a cleaning routine to keep things spick-and-span through the whole year. The lift truck battery room is an important hub for any warehouse or DC, and it has its own specific cleaning requirements. A tidy battery room increases productivity, efficiency, and safety.

Still not convinced that you should tidy up your warehouse’s lift truck battery room?

A cluttered and disorganized battery room makes it easier for personnel to improperly charge batteries, waste costly materials, and misplace parts -- all resulting in lost time and money. Batteries can get messy. Sometimes they get corroded. Sometimes they leak acid. They have to be watered, which splashes everywhere. All of that mess can lead to chemical burns, slips and falls, and can ignite a fire or cause an explosion if something sparks – all of which can be catastrophic.

So to get your warehouse off to a great start this year, pay special attention to tidying up the battery room with these tips in mind:

• Regularly clean off acid and other buildup from forklift batteries and their surroundings with a damp, clean cloth. To remove especially greasy film, use a little mild detergent. Clean batteries thoroughly every two to three months for best results.

• Immediately neutralize and clean up any electrolyte that leaks or spills from a battery’s cells as it’s being charged. Only use neutralizing solutions recommended by your battery supplier or manufacturer, but be careful never to let the neutralizing solution to get inside the battery’s cells – it can compromise the battery’s charge capacity and lifespan.

• Label all batteries, battery chargers, and charging cables for optimal organization. Create procedures for personnel to test out meters, chargers, and batteries regularly and post these guidelines throughout the battery room.

• Check the condition of the battery room’s plugs and cables. Remove any cables that have frayed or exposed wires and replace loose-fitting plugs.

Once you and your battery room team have deep cleaned and organized you lift truck battery room, make sure that each battery room team member understands what should be done on a daily basis to maintain cleanliness. Give each team member a daily checklist, just like you made for the other areas of your warehouse. Remember that accountability is key to sustained cleanliness not only in the warehouse but also, and especially, in the lift truck battery room. With the first quarter underway, there’s no better time to increase productivity, efficiency, and safety by establishing new habits of cleanliness and tidiness in every area of your facility.

How do you keep your battery room clean and free of hazards? Get the discussion going by sharing your own tips with us in the comments section below.