Dealing with accidents at distribution centres
THE Hari Raya period is a peak season for retailers and logistics service providers, where volumes in a fast moving consumer goods distribution centres are easily three times the average volume. This increase in workload unfortunately also results in a higher number of accidents in distribution centres.
In fact, over the years there has been a rise in work pressure in distribution centres in Asia.
This is the result of continuous costs reduction programmes, high performance contracts between logistics service providers and customers, as well as the introduction of e-commerce, leading to an explosion in number of order lines (high volumes of small orders).
What are the most common accidents in distribution centres?
The most common accidents are slips and trips. Slips and trips happen because of loose objects or liquids on floors, height differences or ridges and dark areas.
Falls come in second for accidents in distribution centres. These can be falls from equipment as well as falls in, around or from loading bays, containers and trucks.
Third is the contact of warehouse staff or visitors with moving objects, moving parts of equipment, as well as collisions between loading vehicles.
Next on the list is accidents in distribution centres caused by falling objects due to improper stacking of loads on pallets or improperly stored objects rolling off shelves.
Fire at warehouses ranks fifth in the distribution centre accident list. A warehouse fire jeopardises an entire operation and can cause serious injuries, or even fatalities.
Many warehouses store potentially flammable or combustible goods, such as chemicals, that can fast become an uncontrollable blaze. Poor electrical wiring is in many cases the trigger for a warehouse fire.
Logistics service providers can take several measures to reduce or eliminate accidents in distribution centres.
Safety education
The highest number of accidents happens with temporary labour and new warehouse staff.
Therefore, the foundation of warehouse safety is first and foremost a sound safety education programme and effective followthrough for fresh staff.
Warehouse design
The design of the building contributes to a safe working environment. This addresses of course the basics such as proper lining of walkways and crossings, signboards, fire sprinklers and extinguishers, and electrical wiring.
Research shows that splitting of bulk and picking zones in a warehouse has both efficiency and safety advantages.
Walking in gazetted, concentrated picking zones for order pickers means less walking, resulting in less slipping and tripping. Trucks do not enter the picking zones during picking shifts, where order pickers walk.
Finally, racks at picking zones are lower, reducing the chance of falling objects hurting order pickers.
Mechanisation and automation in warehouses
Mechanisation of internal transport in warehouses minimises movements by people and trucks. An example is the use of flow racks with separate filling and picking for order picking in a warehouse, as well as the application of conveyor belts in distribution centres.
Conveyor belts can be used for moving loose picked goods or full pallets in a warehouse. Furthermore, full automation of bulk pallet handling could be attractive when there is a need for high storage volumes at great heights.
In short, several measures can be implemented to reduce the number of accidents in distribution centres and boost the efficiency of your facility. It is worth the investment to have an expert help you with this.
marco@lbbinternational.com
The most common accidents are slips and trips. Slips and trips happen because of loose objects or liquids on floors, height differences or ridges and dark areas.