Pallet trucks are found in almost every warehouse in the country, and have become an essential piece of manual handling equipment that make transporting large and heavy loads a whole lot easier.
Although these pieces of equipment have become indispensable to the thousands of warehouse workers across the UK, it cannot be forgotten that these are heavy duty pieces of machinery that can cause accidents and injuries when not used correctly.
Here are five of the most important safety considerations that you should take into account when you and your staff are using pallet trucks.
1. Are you staff trained in how to use a pallet truck correctly?
If your staff are using manual handling equipment in their role, you should always make sure that they’ve received proper training in order to use the machinery safely and effectively.
2. Only lift your pallet truck as high as necessary
When operating a pallet truck, try to only lift your loads as high as necessary. If you lift a load too high, this could alter the centre of gravity of the truck and cause it to fall over, on you or someone else
The recommended height is around one inch off the floor, which allows for more stable movement and the correct centre of gravity.
3. Label your warehouse to make people aware of where pallet trucks are in use
Make sure you have sufficient labelling around your warehouse so that people are aware of the places where pallet trucks may be in use.
This ensures that whenever someone is walking around, they can look out for heavy machinery that could be in operation.
4. Keep your warehouse clean and uncluttered to prevent injuries
Trying to move a pallet truck around a cluttered warehouse can pose a number of threats and risks to your staff. Not only could the pallet truck get stuck in clutter and cause an injury, but it could also knock over other valuable items in your warehouse.
5. Are you staff properly following safety regulations
When working with pallet trucks, your staff should also be using PPE to protect their hands, feet and eyes while operating machinery
They should also never stand or ride on the pallet truck, and ensure that the handle is always in a neutral position when the truck is in motion
If you find your employees not following the basic safety regulations that they learnt in their training, you should always raise with them.