10 Warehouse safety tips for 2014

1. Inspect your pallet racking on a regular basis.
2. Ensure that you are conforming to European Standard EN15635.
3. Do not ignore damaged pallet racking. A damaged rack can collapse and cause injuries.
4. Have a safe working environment.
5. Use the right kind of protection for your pallet racking.
6. Conform to all current Health and Safety legislation in order to avoid any HSE litigations.
7. Provide warehouse training for your staff.
8. Be safe not sorry.
9. Do not drive into a pick location with raised forks as this can cause damage to the beams and in some case could even push a pallet off the racking.
10. Do not ignore traffic signs or rules for any one way systems that are in place.

Tesco Choose Rack Armour

Tesco approached RackArmour Ltd for a solution to their ever increasing racking damage, with over 290 forklifts and lollops operating at one time, damage was an inevitable occurrence, and with the average cost of a racking leg replacement at £400.00 per upright, effective protection couldn't come soon enough.

"The New Daventry Grocery Depot distributes to all UK stores explains Simon Harris, Project Manager at Tesco , “with over 5 million pallet movement's each month at this one site, racking damage does occur , which is detrimental to the warehouse operation”

“To help us to reduce & prevent racking damage within our operation, Tesco trialled a number of racking protection t, the trial identified that the Rack Armour product was robust and easy to install, as well as a cost effective solution to reduce racking damage”. "We have now had the guards installed on over 6500 uprights for more than a week, and we have already seen a dramatic reduction in racking damage, I would whole heartedly recommend this product to other's looking for a solution that not only works, but is clearly the most cost effective product available."

Tesco trialled other racking protection, including the latest products on the market to find the best solution for them, in the end Rack Armour was the obvious choice for quality, cost, and having the most established product in the market.

“There are a number of pretenders to Rack Armour’s crown out there in the market” explains Richard Nelson, Marketing Co-ordinator at Rack Armour, “and they usually have an Achilles Heel in relation to the Rack Armour guard, a serious design flaw to these other products are they can easily be dislodged from the upright by forklifts and lollops, the last thing you want in a busy warehouse is to find your so called protection lying idle on your warehouse floor, these stray units have the capability to cause serious harm as projectiles to both employees and handling equipment”.

Tesco’s is another blue chip company to be added to Rack Armour’s illustrious list, and they are in good company, with the likes of, IKEA, DHL, Mercedes Benz, Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Toyota, Superdrug, Pound land, ASDA, Coca Cola, Nestle and B&Q whom have all had the guards installed for years.

“Every customer has different wants and needs from the Rack Armour guard” says Jenny Charlton, Director of Rack Armour “one customer will rave about the guard being able to work in conditions as low as -40 degrees, whilst another’s are impressed that it fits all types of racking and is inter transferable between different racking systems, it has countless benefits!”

If racking damage is becoming a problem on your site, don’t delay, contact us to arrange a free site visit and demonstration of Rack Armour on 01226 784 488 | www.rackarmour.com

RACK ARMOUR AND PLASTIC GUARDS INTERNATIONAL DOMINANCE

Steel column guards have dominated the racking protection industry for years. However, now there is a new material that’s taking the industry by storm..... High Density Polyethylene. Plastic has been seen as an inferior material to steel in the past, not as strong or durable. This is changing day by day.

As an increasing number of bridges require rehabilitation, strengthening or replacement, interest has grown in reinforced plastic polymers as a solution to the problem of an aging infrastructure. The range of composite materials manufactured for bridge construction and repair is expanding as more installations are undertaken. Soon, a bridge made of plastic may be coming to a highway near you!

Rack Armour column guard protection was one of the first to utilise plastic. Employing plastic rather than steel has massive advantages:

·         Very high strength to wait ratio

·         Will not corrode and can be designed to accommodate most climate conditions

·         Impact and dent resistant – retains properties

·         Cheaper to manufacture and lighter weight for better transport costs

·         Aesthetically pleasing – all colourings can be added to the mould

·         Impervious to many chemical compounds – can be used in a wide range of warehouses

·         Easier packaging

After recent shows in the US, popularity with plastic guards has increased dramatically and the number of plastic guards on the market has sawn. In particular, Rack Armour has seen a tremendous increase in growth due to the mind set of potential customers switching from metal guards to plastic.

Racking uprights are constantly under attack by fork lift trucks but with the aid of Rack Armour this is no longer a problem. Rack Armour is a cost effective, proven method of protecting racking uprights.

Don’t delay, try Rack Armour today.

For more information regarding Rack Armour visit www.rackarmour.com