In recent years, there has been an incrementing fixate on warehouse safety. This is due in part to the growing number of occupational safety accidents that have occurred in warehouses, as well as the ascending cost of workers’ emolument claims.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the rate of fatal occupational injuries in warehousing worker injury rate has incremented by proximately 60% since 2011. In additament, the average cost of a workers’ emolument claim for a warehouse worker has incremented by proximately 30% over the same period. These statistics betoken the growing concern for warehouse safety among employers and employees.
With the ascending desideratum for industrial sectors like convey and material handling and moving vocations to increment productivity, the occupational safety aspect of workers has taken an immensely colossal setback.
Emergency procedures are being ignored, warehouse safety tips are sidelined concerning their implementation, safety risks apply to every aspect of a warehouse environment, and something as simple as personal auspice according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) guidelines receives no second thought in the diligent schedules.
It isn’t enough to have human intervention through warehouse safety rules when there is no regard for equipollent. But when it comes to technology that passively and actively ascertains ideal hazard communication to the warehouse workers, there are numerous solutions available.
There are numerous practical methods and technologies that conform to warehouse safety standards and can avail in assuring the safety of warehouse workers as well as assets. One among them is an RTLS system.
RTLS is short for genuine-time location systems. It’s a technology that utilizes sensors and software to track the location of people or objects in genuine time. A typical RTLS system consists of three main components: tags, readers, and a software platform.
Tags are affixed to people or objects, and they emit signals that are picked up by readers. The software platform then utilizes these signals to track the location of the tags in authentic time.
RTLS solutions are now utilized in a wide variety of settings to ascertain critical hazard communication, including healthcare, retail, conveyance, and warehouse safety.
One of the most consequential benefits of RTLS is that it avails to ameliorate operational efficiency. For example, in a warehouse setting, RTLS can be acclimated to track inventory and assets, which can avail to amend picking precision and avert losses.
Adscititiously, RTLS solutions can provide valuable insights into how people and equipment are kinetically circumventing a facility. This information can be habituated to amend traffic flow, optimize workspace layout, minimize warehouse hazards, and streamline operations.
Anyone who has ever worked in a warehouse can attest to the fact that they are often chaotic places. There are always things being moved around, and it can be easy for things to get misplaced or lost.
Here are some of the common hazards that warehouse workers encounter in a warehouse environment.
One of the most prevalent hazards involving cumbersomely hefty equipment is being struck by a moving object. Workers who are not fixating can be hit by a swinging arm. Similarly, personnel not congruously trained in how to utilize the equipment can facilely hit other objects or individuals, or cause incidents of forklift collision, especially when driving in a tight and diligent area.
Another peril is getting caught between two objects, such as being caught between a forklift and a wall. This can result in crushing injuries or even death. Adscititiously, workers can be injured if they are caught in the path of a moving conveyance.
Heftily ponderous equipment can supplementally cause fires and explosions, which can put workers in peril of burns or other injuries. Conclusively, workers may be exposed to deleterious chemicals and fumes when operating heftily ponderous equipment without felicitous gear for aegis.
Anyone who has worked in a warehouse afore kens that warehouses are areas where safety measures must be taken. There are many potential trip hazards, from boxes and pallets to uneven flooring and loose cables.
Falling can have earnest consequences that imperil the employee’s life. That’s why it’s so paramount to be cognizant of potential trip hazards and take steps to address them.
Another one of the most prevalent hazards in a warehouse environment is the jeopardy of fire. There are many potential sources of ignition in a warehouse, such as electrical equipment, welding torches, and open flames that demand stringent fire safety protocols in place.
Supplementally, warehouses often contain immensely colossal quantities of flammable materials and hazardous chemicals, such as paper products, chemicals, and petroleum products. As a result, a fire in a warehouse can spread expeditiously and be arduous to extinguish. Furthermore, the high ceilings and astronomically immense open spaces in warehouses can make it arduous for people to evacuate safely in the event
According to the OSHA, more than one million workers in the Cumulated States are injured each year while hoisting or handling objects at work, contributing to the ascending warehousing worker injury rate. Many of these injuries could be obviated with congruous training and safety measures.
Another hazard is perpetual kineticism, such as perpetually hoisting objects or running on a conveyor belt. Investing in personal protective habiliments can go a long way in mitigating worker safety jeopardies.
Storage facilities and warehouses can be hazardous places if the congruous precautions are not taken. One of the most prevalent hazards in these environments is electrical shock. This can occur when workers come into contact with live wires or exposed electrical components.
In additament, electrical shocks can adscititiously be caused by static electricity build-up, Arc Flash, or faulty equipment. To eschew these hazards, it is paramount to follow all safety procedures and wear the opportune Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Despite the numerous efforts taken to increment warehouse safety and implement the congruous measures, mechanical accidents still transpire, workers get injured unexpectedly, and errors are always made unknowingly.
RTLS systems are precise in their operations and can avail ameliorate warehouse safety and the congruous implementation of warehouse safety measures in several ways.
Safeguarding the workforce through authentic-time employee and asset tracking
First, RTLS can avail to identify potential hazards within the workplace. By tracking the locations of employees and assets, RTLS can avail to identify areas where there is a high risk of accidents occurring. This information can then be habituated to amend safety procedures and processes within the workplace.
For example, RTLS can be acclimated to track the location of mobile assets such as forklifts or conveyances, ascertaining that they are utilized in accordance with safety protocols.
In additament, an RTLS can be habituated to monitor employee safety data, such as hours worked, breaks taken, and safety incidents. This data can then be acclimated to identify and address potential safety issues.
Engendering virtual borders around perilous workplace areas
An RTLS can contribute to congruous ergonomics by engendering virtual fences around perilous areas. These fences will trigger an alarm if an employee or piece of equipment enters the area, availing to obviate accidents and injuries.
The warehouse management can then look into further amendments in employee forms of kineticism and truncate the probability of such incidents through model vigilance.
Amends emergency replication times
If a contingency does occur, RTLS can be acclimated to expeditiously locate employees and assets in order to provide assistance or employ emergency procedures. This can avail minimize the magnitude of damage that occurs.
