Safety procedures for avoiding accidents in production

Occupational safety and health is a top priority for all businesses. Accidents that happen to goods, equipment and operators at the workplace and in production will cause activity suspension, human losses and property damage. These are seriously detrimental to labor productivity and business profitability.

Occupational safety and health – a problem for all enterprises

According to statistics from the Department of Work Safety under Vietnam’s Ministry of Labor, War Invalids and Social Affairs, despite strengthened efforts in the management of occupational safety, the number of occupational accidents remains high.

The main drivers of occupational accidents include the subjective attitudes of workers and employers (60 percent of the cases) and external factors (40 percent of the cases).

A number of occupational accidents can occur in the warehouse:

Accident #1: Workers falling off a loading dock

At the loading dock, when the warehouse door is either not completely closed or waiting for the next trailer for loading, it is the workers and forklifts that are exposed to risks. If there are insufficient light, no warning lights or high-visibility barriers, the workers may not be aware of the potential risks. With the height of over 1m, workers or forklifts can fall off the dock, causing injuries and damage to the equipment and other assets.

Solution for accident #1: The Rite-Hite Dok Guardian safety barrier is designed to stop up to 30,000 lbs (13.6 metric tons) and prevent operators and forklifts from falling off a loading dock. The red PVC-coated fiberglass mesh curtain and three bright yellow heavy-duty restraint straps on the barrier work as a distant warning to the workers.

Accident #2: Unexpected movement of trailers leading to forklift drop-off accidents

As the trailer enters the loading dock, the dock leveler lip will extend for the operators and forklifts to travel onto the trailer. During this process, the trailer might move from its parking position or be automatically moved away under momentum principles, leading to a gap between the dock. Unaware of this, the operators or forklifts will be exposed to unexpected accidents and fall from this position. Human injuries and property damage are inevitable.

Solution for accident #2: Rite-Hite Dok Lok vehicle restraint with trailer restraint and Rite-Hite’s TS-2000 Trailer Stand to stabilize the trailer in the absence of a tractor and prevent any trailer movement. This provides safety to the operators and forklifts entering or exiting the trailer before the loading/unloading is complete. TS-2000 Trailer Stand comes with wheels for easy positioning and a compact design, and can handle a static load capacity of 100,000 lbs (45.3 metric tons).

Accident #3: Warehouse floor wet from rain, inviting rodents and bugs to come and grow, affecting product quality

There are many drivers that lead to the wet conditions of warehouse floors: rainwater reaching the warehouse from the loading dock; water leaks from the cooling system; cold and normal storage doors not fully closed, releasing cold air and developing moisture; wet warehouses not dried in time; high humidity in the warehouse due to weather conditions, etc.

A wet warehouse will damage products and invite rodents and bugs, in addition to dirt, to come and tear up the products. This is a concern for food and pharmaceutical warehouses, which must meet the requirements for health and product safety according to GMP standards.

Solution for accident #3: To prevent rainwater from reaching the warehouse from the loading dock, it is advised that you use the Rite-Hite Performer dock shelter to fully seal the trailer at the loading dock, barring water from reaching the dock and forming a barrier against bugs, dust, and rodents.

For areas that experience high humidity, Rite-Hite HVLS Revolution Industrial Fans will minimize moisture build-up on surfaces and products, and control indoor temperature. With Rite-Hite industrial fans, your warehouse can still deliver comforting temperature for workers without the help of air conditioners.

For areas with varying temperatures, Rite-Hite FasTrax High Speed Doors can help with the separation of environments on two sides of the doors. With the operating speed of 2.5m/sec, the doors allow workers and forklifts to exit without causing moisture transfer from cold storage to normal storage, which maintains a dry atmosphere.

Accident #4: The operator and forklift not seeing each other at intersections in the warehouse, which easily causes accidents

As shown in the photo below, the operator and forklift are moving in two directions along the arrows with their vision blocked, which might lead to an accident at the location marked with a red X. For three- and four-way intersections in the warehouse, as the operator and forklift are moving from different directions with their vision blocked, glancing carelessly while speeding, the accidents are likely to occur. These are partly driven by the subjective attitudes of the workers involved, in addition to the fact that warning lights and sounds are not installed at intersections in the warehouse.

Solution for accident #4: It is advised that you install Rite-Hite Safe T-Signal traffic lights to signal the worker and forklift approaching an intersection. Using floor sensors, the traffic lights detect the oncoming traffic of people or equipment and a LED signal will be presented.

For four-way intersections, Rite-Hite Safe T-Signal traffic lights will work as follows:

When there is oncoming traffic from one direction, the system will communicate using yellow LED signs for people in other directions to slow down and look around carefully.

If the equipment is moving in from two or more directions, the system will communicate using a red sign towards the equipment and a yellow sign for other directions; the people involved will then negotiate on traffic order.

When the equipment is moving in from all four directions, the red sign will be on for all directions; the people involved will then negotiate on traffic order, for example, the pedestrians might give way to the forklifts and those handling heavy materials.

A blue LED light is also projected onto the floor during this process to help improve vision for the people involved while moving.

Rite-Hite provides a full-line of solutions to ensure safe operations of your warehouse

The manufacture of safety products in the U.S. started in 1980, with Rite-Hite products. Rite-Hite is a world leader in the manufacture, sale, and service of warehouse equipment – all designed to improve safety, security, productivity, energy savings, and environmental control.

For safety hazards at your warehouse, Rite-Hite is always ready to provide solutions for its complete safety. Rite-Hite delivers safety to every warehouse in any industry.

In addition to the products presented earlier, Rite-Hite also provides equipment needed to boost warehouse productivity: dock levelers, signal light systems in and out of the loading dock, warehouse safety barriers, industrial curtain walls, etc. Rite-Hite is known for its substantial experience in safety and quality equipment with exclusive designs worldwide that meet the highest quality standards.