Safety Tip of the Week – Safety with Pallets

Pallets are used in facilities 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 are immensely helpful, 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 always have been 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.=

SAFETY DOESN’T SLOW THE JOB DOWN…BUT MISHAPS DO!