How to Eliminate Leading Causes of Material Handling Injuries

By Nick Warrick

Industrial establishments and warehouses automate most of their core functions. Still, modern technologies have limitations, necessitating workers to do manual activities. One such manual activity is material handling and storage.

Material handling entails moving, securing, storing, and monitoring materials and finished products as they pass through various processes, from manufacturing to the final consumer. Here are four typical material handling processes:

• Hoisting prefabricated concrete elements with a crane
• Driving a truck loaded with concrete blocks
• Carrying materials in bags
• Stacking palletized bricks

Industries must be efficient in handling and storing materials. That way, they guarantee an uninterrupted flow of parts and assemblies throughout a manufacturing line. The materials shall be available on time, wherever they are needed.

Significance of Adequate Safety Procedures in Material Handling

Without adequate safety procedures, workers engaged in material handling tasks like lifting, pushing, pulling, and carrying loads may face unnecessary risks to their physical and mental health. Also, the risks apply to those workers who perform equipment-assisted material handling duties. The ensuing consequences include significant or fatal injuries and property damage. And the injury downtime and decreased productivity can negatively affect the bottom line.

Understanding the Scope of Material Handling Injuries

Using specialized equipment can ease and secure a manual material handling task. Still, if abused, this manually-operated equipment, like hand carts, can become hazardous to the operators. Some of the hazards or injuries associated with material handling include: –

• Sprains, Strains, & Joint Injuries: Overexertion accounts for up to 30% of warehouse and transportation injuries. It occurs when workers overstretch their muscles, ligaments, and tendons.
• Crushed and Bumped Hands, Arms, Fingers, and Legs: Workers whose hands, fingers, arms, or legs get caught in the material handling equipment can get bumped or crushed.
• Broken Bones & Back Injuries: – Workers who slip, trip, or fall at industrial plants or warehouses may break their bones or develop back and spinal injuries.
• Hearing Impairment: Workers exposed to hazardous noises following an equipment malfunction or industrial accident can develop hearing difficulties and a ringing or buzzing noise in one or both ears.

Prevention Methods for Material Handling Injuries

The best way to prevent material handling injuries is by mitigating the risks associated with the various material handling activities. Here, business owners should create a conducive work environment where workers can adapt quickly to their duties with minimal or no repetitive or strenuous incidents. They should identify potential hazard zones in the material handling channels.

Use of PPE and Proper Apparel

Workers should have PPE clothing to enhance workplace safety and minimize injuries associated with material handling. The essential PPE varies depending on the extent of risk exposure.

For example, equip workers with HAZMAT suits to shield them from accidental splashes of dangerous materials. Likewise, they should wear metatarsal guards when handling heavy materials.

Other PPE and protective apparel include safety boots, gloves, eye protection gear, ear muffs and earplugs, and high visibility apparel.

Minimize Ergonomic Risk Factors

Opt for machine-handling equipment that is easy to push, pull, or manoeuvre. The lesser force reduces the risk of material handling injuries. Then, plan material handling routes to avoid unnecessary stops.

Right Material Handling Equipment

Proper choice and handling of equipment can prevent hazards and injuries and guarantee economic and effortless operation. For example, when using swing loads, use the right lifting equipment for the load. Ensure the equipment has been inspected and approved. Add active safety technologies like a frequency inverter and use a lifting beam to minimize load sway and maintain the center of gravity.

Second, use a hand pallet truck, also known as a  pump truck or pallet jack, to pick and move materials from one section to the next while on palletized trays only.

Right Lifting Techniques

Employees should learn and implement proper lifting techniques for manual material handling tasks. The lifting techniques include:

• Maintaining a straight back with the load near the center of your body
• Keeping arms and elbows near your body
• Tightening abdominal muscles
• Bending the knees

Right Safety Training and Education

Even though companies perform rigorous vetting processes to hire competent and adaptive employees, employee performance requires regular monitoring to remain top-notch. Moreover, the workers have human limitations like fatigue and stress that cannot be ignored. Then, all employees whose job duties include handling materials should undergo regular workplace material handling training as part of their mandatory compliance training.

A typical safety training and education program covers the following instructions:

• Become familiar with the various equipment appropriate for equipment-assisted material handling duties. The mechanical equipment includes hand trucks, forklifts, pallet jacks, cranes, and front-end loaders.
• Master special guidelines applicable to unique material handling equipment
• Walk at a speed appropriate for the equipment’s size, load, and nature of the wheels. Workers should push, not pull, four-wheeled equipment.
• Wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) at all times

Here are additional precautions that can help reduce hazards associated with manual material handling:

• Keep aisles clear of clutter to provide the equipment operator with clear lines of sight. Install cameras or signals to facilitate the equipment’s movement. Ensure they are wide enough at the corner areas to allow the workers to maneuver equipment without unnecessary stops.
• The floors should be clean and well-maintained, keeping them free of debris, dirt, dust, or spills at all times.
• Assign workers the right size of equipment to accommodate the load and work area. Opt for equipment with larger diameters and robust casters or wheels to minimize the force necessary to operate it.
• Keep off air-filled wheels. They tend to flatten out and place more tread when in contact with the floor. In turn, the workers exert more force to maneuver the equipment, resulting in injuries.

Embracing Continuous Improvement in PPE measures

Ensuring workplace safety is an ongoing process. As such, companies have to take proactive measures to minimize exposure to chemical, biological, and physical hazards in the workplace. Keeping up with the latest trends in PPE and implementing continuous improvements helps achieve this.

Planning Ahead

Organizations should develop strategic plans that anticipate and address safety concerns before they occur. Ask for suggestions and input from first-line industrial workers, warehouse owners, expert consultants, suppliers, and any other affected third parties.

Standardize Manual Material Handling Processes

Manufacturers and warehouse owners should develop standard operating procedures (SOPs) to define all their material handling processes. That way, they can pinpoint and avoid fatal errors and prevent the spread of germs and infectious diseases.

Hazard Demarcation

Then, demarcate all the hazard zones to point out dangers and remind workers about the safety rules and guidelines. For example, you can use measures like a steel demarcation safety post, color-coded floor lines, markings, and barricade tape to protect employees from excessive chemical exposure.

Equipment Pre-Inspection

Always pre-inspect your material handling equipment to rule out mishaps when raising, pulling, moving, and stopping loads. Also, ensure that the equipment complies with regulatory requirements.

Conclusion

What is your industrial plant or warehouse doing to mitigate the risks associated with material handling? Do you have a contingency plan to prevent material handling injuries? We hope this quick guide gives you valuable insights to anticipate and mitigate material handling injuries in your industry or warehouse.

Nick Warrick is the Sales Manager at All Seasons Uniforms. With over 15 years of experience in the work uniform business, he has worked with over 100 clients across 20 different industries. Holding bachelor’s degrees in both Business Administration and Information Technology, Warrick revamped the company’s online presence, offering its customers a new uniform shopping experience. www.allseasonsuniforms.com/