Handling material can pose many risks, especially if it is done manually. Workers can be unsafe at work by lifting, carrying and pushing. Material handling injuries can lead to serious injuries that result in lost productivity, medical bills, and lower employee morale. You must take preventive steps to reduce injuries and avoid the associated costs. Here are six tips for material handling that will help.
- Reduce Ergonomic Risk Factors
These are problems that can cause excessive physical fatigue among employees. These risk factors are common in manual material handling environments. The three main risk factors are: repetitive movements such as reaching for and lifting heavy loads, bending and twisting while handling materials, and stress postures like this. To minimize employee exposure to ergonomic risks, identify all of them and put in place control measures to reduce their exposure.
- Personal protective equipment
Workers will be safer when they are moving materials manually if they have access to protective equipment. Protective equipment for workers includes protective eye protection, gloves, helmets, safety boots with steel toes and metal fiber or plastic guards that protect the instep from injury or compression.
- Upgrading your equipment
Upgrading your equipment can reduce manual material handling. You can move your materials by using conveyor belts, forklifts and scales instead of carrying them manually. This will not only reduce material handling risks, but also increase productivity.
- Reduce Vibration and Noise
Many plants are susceptible to vibration and noise, so it is important to protect your employees’ ears. Vibration can cause noise but it can also cause fatigue and work-related musculoskeletal conditions. You can reduce noise and vibration by using the right equipment such as wheel materials. The floor can be matched with the wheel material to reduce vibration and noise. To reduce noise and g forces on a wheeled cart, you can use shock-dampening wheels and softer tires.
- Respond to Employee Fatigue Reports
Manual material handling is a common job that can lead to fatigue and physical weariness. No matter how well your ergonomic system is designed to accommodate workers’ abilities, manual labor can cause fatigue and physical weariness. A musculoskeletal disorder will eventually develop from cumulative fatigue. Employees should be encouraged to report fatigue and discomfort to ensure that you are able to respond quickly to any symptoms and take preventative measures to avoid fatigue becoming serious.
- Make sure you have the right equipment
Handling manual material is dangerous, time-consuming, and laborious. You can make this process safer, more efficient, and faster by choosing the right equipment. Conveyor belts offer many benefits when handling different sizes and types of weight loads. You can also find material handling equipment in melbourne. The form storage equipment (shelves and racks), and bulk material equipment like trucks, silos and drums. You must designate and train the right people and ensure that they follow the rules. No matter how small or simple the equipment is, only trained and authorized individuals can operate it.