Safety Tip of the Week – Pallet Safety

Pallet Safety

Pallets are used at many job sites and companies each and every day. From shipping product out the door to moving items internally, pallets are part of our daily life.

Pallets are a fundamental part of warehouse and industrial life. They’re immensely helpful in allowing workers to move loads around in a safe and quick manner. Their use is so ubiquitous though that we often forget just how hazardous they can be when misused.

Please take a moment to review the following safety tips for working around palletized loads:

• Develop a pallet inspection program. Before you use a pallet, inspect it for cracks, weaknesses and other damage. If you find damage, mark it unsafe for use until it is either fixed or thrown away. This can prevent a lot of potential problems.

• When loading a pallet, make sure the load is centered and not out of balance.

• If the pallet is holding several loose items, make sure the entire load is secured with shrink-wrap or banding.

• Exercise caution when stacking several pallets high. Make sure the stack is not leaning because of weak or broken segments, which may cause the whole pile to fall over.

• Always know the load limit of the pallet jack or forklift you are using. Neither the pallets nor mechanical lifting devices should ever be overloaded.

• Load limits should also be established and marked on warehouse floors–balconies, mezzanines, etc. Always comply with these.

• Make sure your forklift has an overhead cage or screen to protect the driver from falling objects when merchandise is being stacked overhead.

Remember–thinking ahead can save a lot of trouble. It is a waste of production time and effort to reload a pallet that has fallen. But, more importantly, an effective pallet/warehouse safety plan can prevent injuries and save lives!

“Safety doesn’t slow the job down but mishaps do.”