How to safely use warehouse lifting equipment

Those working in industrial warehouses often use specialist lifting equipment to transport packing materials and inventory around these facilities. Unfortunately, incorrect usage of this equipment often leads to serious injuries. Here is some advice on how to safely use two of the most common types of lifting equipment.

Hand pallet trucks

As its name suggests, a hand pallet truck is used to transport wooden pallets that are loaded with materials from one area of a warehouse to another. Whilst this type of equipment may seem easy to operate,  improper use of it can cause injuries.

The forks of the truck should be positioned as close to the centre of the loaded pallet as possible, to reduce the likelihood of an imbalanced load causing the truck to tip over whilst it's in use. Operators should also avoid moving the pallet truck up any ramps, unless it comes equipped with a hand brake (not all trucks have this feature), as the weight of the load it is bearing could cause the truck to fall back down the slope it's being pushed up, which in turn, could result in the user being crushed by it.

Lastly, users should avoid adding excessive amounts of weight to the pallet, as this will make it harder to manoeuvre and thus increase the likelihood of the person operating it pulling or straining a muscle.  

Scissor lifts

A scissor lift comes with a platform that can move upwards, to allow workers to access higher shelving units in a warehouse. It can also be used to transport items to and from various parts of the facility.

When used by inexperienced operators, scissor lifts can sometimes tip over; if this happens, the weight of the equipment and the load it is carrying could potentially crush or hit both the operator and those who are standing nearby.

To prevent this type of incident, operators should inspect the area of ground in which they intend to use the equipment for signs of unevenness or instability, both of which could potentially cause the equipment to tip over. Additionally, the platform should never be overloaded with materials, as this too, can increase the risk of the scissor lift tipping to one side. Operators should keep the manufacturer's recommend maximum weight guidelines in mind when deciding how much the platform can safely hold.

Scissor lift users must also be aware of, and do their best to avoid overhead hazards, which could hurt them whilst they're standing on the platform; being hit by piping, air-conditioning ducts or a rafter could result in a serious head injury, or cause the person to lose their balance and fall off the platform onto the ground.

For more information or assistance, contact companies like Instant Scaffolding WA.