Rack Rage

Risk Assessment on Warehouse Storage Problem Following complaints from employee representatives about unsafe access methods to storage areas in a company, the employer reviewed the arrangements for such work. The company has a large warehouse containing racking where a variety of products from raw materials to finished goods are stored. A variety of tasks take place in the warehouse, including the addition and retrieval of goods, order picking, inspection and stocktaking. Concern was expressed that ladders were being used to retrieve heavy and unwieldy goods from racking and this constituted a risk of falls. Some employees had also been seen climbing racking to retrieve products. Solution Risk assessment/planning and re-organisation The employer reviewed warehouse tasks by asking first whether work at height could be avoided. The aisle space between the racks was too narrow for a conventional fork truck to be used for adding and retrieving stock from the upper shelves. However, it was found that by keeping aisles clear, most lifting could be done mechanically with pedestrian stackers by inserting a low shelf which allowed the forward legs on the stacker to pass under allowing the trucks raised forks to enter the rack to place loads on the upper shelves. This type of truck has a much smaller turning circle than a conventional forklift therefore removing the need to use ladders or climb racking. Another option, where goods are not too heavy, would be to cover the warehouse area with an under-slung crane with suspended vertical mast and forks. The warehouse layout was reviewed so that frequently accessed smaller items were placed at low level so that they could be manually retrieved without the need to access height. The shelving area was barriered off from vehicle loading/unloading area so that segregation between vehicles and pedestrians was achieved. Mobile stepladders equipped with a guard rail for the steps and working platform were designated suitable for use for inspection and stock taking. They could also be used for the removal of lighter goods that did not constitute a manual handling risk. All of the solutions suggested above are available from Dale Lifting and Handling Specialists and can be viewed online at www.dale-lifting and www.dlhonline.co.uk

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