To an outsider, the term ‘manual handling’ might sound like it pertains to physically moving heavy loads. While this is often true, it’s only part of the story. In high-pressure environments involving material goods – from fast-paced distribution centres and factories to smaller yet equally dynamic stockrooms or garden centres – manual handling tasks are …
You may have unwittingly seen them in garden centres, DIY stores, on building sites or even in your own place of work, perhaps tucked into a stockroom. But what is a pallet truck? These nifty pieces of manual handling equipment are essential devices for moving palletised goods across all sorts of working environments, and in …
Risk assessments have been making workplaces safer, more enjoyable places to be for the better part of a century, but it wasn’t until the advent of the Health and Safety at Work Act (HSWA) that this tool for compliance was enshrined in UK law. Since then, risk assessments have come a long way, shaping our …
In fast-paced working environments, from warehouses to retail stockrooms, knowing how to stack pallets safely is essential – not just for maximising space, but for maintaining a safe workplace for everyone. Poorly stacked pallets can lead to serious incidents, including injuries from falling loads, damaged stock, and costly disruptions (both in terms of money and …
Warehousing operations have come a long way since their early days. We no longer rely solely on brute strength and brainpower – although both remain crucial assets – as waves of technological innovation have swept in and disrupted the sector. However, with automation comes increasing demand and operational complexity, which makes the task of ensuring …
Forklifts are a staple of the material handling sector. You may see them from time to time on farms or construction sites, or perhaps more likely if you are reading this, on a daily basis in your place of work, be it a warehouse, manufacturing facility or distribution centre. This is all to say that …
Occupational health and safety have come a long way since the first piece of legislation was passed over 200 years ago. While fairly rudimentary in today’s standards and poorly enforced, it set into motion a culture of care and ethical responsibility that, over the course of centuries, morphed into the standards we’re more familiar with. …
Thanks to a cocktail of sweeping global influences – the rise of automation, the growth of the ecommerce sector and progression of Industry 4.0 technologies – the material handling sector is experiencing something of a renaissance. In the UK, revenues from the manufacture of lifting and handling equipment is estimated to hit 5.5 billion USD …
Did you know that manual handling accidents account for 17% of all workplace injuries? As if that’s not enough, 7.8 million working days are lost due to occupational musculoskeletal disorders, which are a common byproduct of unaddressed manual handling hazards. Given the prevalence of these issues, it’s important employers and site managers step up their …
According to the Office for National Statistics, the UK has well and truly entered the gilded age of distribution. From the expansion of the so-called “golden logistics triangle” in the Midlands to the more than 50% increase in the UK’s warehousing and logistics premises, the need for industrial equipment and handling supplies has surged considerably …
