Fulfillment Center Takes Aim at Safety
In a recent article in OH&S magazine, a major eRetailer’s fulfillment center in Canada was highlighted as it made major changes in its daily operations. The goal: To establish clear rules on the operation of Powered Industrial Trucks (PITs) within the busy facility where pedestrians traverse the same areas as the vehicles.
To achieve this, the eRetailer created new protocols for drivers and the pedestrian workers in an effort to make safety considerations second nature. For example, when a pedestrian attempts to enter a PIT lane, that pedestrian is required to make eye contact with any drivers whose path they might cross. A simple bit of retraining, and part of their efforts to adopt the PIT Highway Safety Act.
The ultimate goal, of course, is to increase safety overall through planning by the facility safety team and the actions of workers on the site. In the background of all this activity, however, is an additional aspect for improving safety: A-SAFE barriers.
A-SAFE Makes a Difference
Among the installs at the fulfillment center were:
- iFlex Pedestrian Guardrail 3 Rail – A flexible, energy-absorbing guardrail that visually defines traffic routes. It protects people and property by cushioning and deflecting impact forces.
- Monoplex Bollards – Engineered with cutting edge design and a single, durable material, Monoplex Bollards offer unrivalled protection against everyday PIT impacts. Used to protectbuildings, machinery and vehicles from damage.
- Heavy Duty Topple Barrier – Heavy Duty Topple Barrier is designed to protect pedestrians from the danger of toppling bulk goods, as well as offering robust impact protection against vehicles.
- ForkGuard Kerb Guardrail – A low-level barrier designed to resist fork intrusion into pedestrian areas and to protect floor-level items and infrastructure from damage while also serving as a pallet stop.
- iFlex Double Traffic Guardrail+ – A robust guardrail with added handrail, the Double Traffic+ provides maximum resistance and protection against heavy PIT impacts. Use it to guide both pedestrians and PITs safely through a facility.
The Benefits of Polymer Barriers
While each of these A-SAFE products offers specific benefits, as part of the greater A-SAFE product line they provide:
- Huge ROI – When compared to steel, A-SAFE’s polymer earn a rapid return on investment through reduced maintenance and avoidance of replacement
- Reduced downtime – When a steel barrier gets hit by a forklift or other PIT, it will typically permanently bend out of shape while also ripping up the concrete floor of the facility. Both these actions trigger significant downtime for a section of the facility. A-SAFE products avoid both issues.
- Regulation compliant – A-SAFE products are designed to meet or exceed PAS 13, a standard developed in the UK. Likewise, this standard meets or exceeds U.S. standards for safety guardrails and barriers, meaning you’re instantly compliant following installation. Given A-SAFE’s durability and longevity, you’re compliant for years.
- Impact tested – Each product is impact-tested thousands of times, meaning you can rely on A-SAFE barriers to resist and absorb the impact energy from unexpected PIT encounters.
- Reduced maintenance – Ultra-low maintenance material is chemical and water resistant, non-corrosive, non-scratch, UV-stabilized and self-colored, which means no repainting, rusting, flaking or corrosion. That’s more time to get your real work done.
By making A-SAFE part of their overall safety plan, the fulfillment facility is attacking the situation from two fronts: Actively, through training their personnel and structurally, with a variety of A-SAFE safety installations that offer durable, high-visibility polymer barriers designed to make a difference.
Want to learn more about how A-SAFE can add to your safety plan?