Safety

What’s the biggest expense at your warehouse or distribution center? If your operation is like most, the answer’s probably order picking: Research suggests that order picking makes up between 50 and 75 percent of warehouse operating costs. If you want to build a more efficient operation, then, look for ways to improve order picking productivity.

If the nations of the world keep their current transportation and energy policies, the global fleet of electric vehicles (EVs) will grow to 145 million units by the end of the decade. If many governments adopt certain sustainability initiatives, the fleet could grow to 230 million vehicles by 2030. That will be around 12 percent of all vehicles, everywhere.

Not sure which safety standards to worry about as you build EV charging stations? Here’s a rundown of what’s out there for EVSE cable management.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standard 1910.176(b) requires employers to store materials securely. “Storage of material shall not create a hazard,” the standard says. Complying with this standard can be a challenge for products that seem designed to roll away—as is the case with pipes of all sizes and materials.

Vertical material handling is always a challenge. Raising a loaded pallet to mezzanine-level with a forklift can be risky and time-consuming. Freight elevators require costly inspections and frequent, expensive maintenance. It’s not always possible—and it’s rarely safe—to have employees carry heavy loads up and down stairs.

There are many ways to move materials and equipment from one elevation to another: scissor lifts, lift trucks, spiral conveyors, and more. For many warehouses, distribution centers, manufacturing plants, and other industrial facilities, however, vertical reciprocating conveyors (VRCs) provide the greatest combination of benefits. These include improved safety, higher throughput, and an overall boost in productivity.

When you’re building a facility for LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification, every point matters.

Loss of electrical materials at a job site isn’t just the contractor’s problem. If electrical wholesalers don’t package or prepare orders adequately, these products are more vulnerable to damage and theft. With enough lost product, electrical contractors may start looking for a new supplier.

In 2020, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that the injury rate in warehousing was significantly higher than the average for all industries: 4.8 injuries per 100 workers in warehousing and storage, versus 2.7 per 100 for all industries combined. In an effort to improve warehouse safety and bring down these injury rates, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced a five-year initiative beginning in August 2022. It’s called the Regional Emphasis Program (REP) for Warehousing Operation.

Academically, ergonomics is the study of work and how it interacts with the human body. As an applied science, ergonomics involves matching the work to the worker. The goal is to eliminate discomfort and injury on the job.