Material and Equipment Handling

Moving heavy materials and equipment can be quite the heavy task for any business of today. In order to meet on-the-dot shipment dates and production schedules that cannot be delayed the necessary handling tools for transporting heavy items should always be available for any company.

One of the most useful tools inside a warehouse for moving materials and equipment is the pallet truck or pallet jack as some would call it. Before there were only manual trucks available. Later on electric and hydraulic trucks were developed for greater efficiency, convenience as well as much heavier loads.

There are also tilt-trucks for temporarily storing and dumping waste materials, light service carts for carrying smaller hand tools and equipment, and different shapes and sized of hand trucks which can be used to move appliances.

However, not just any handling tool would do. Factors such as the durability, load capacity, safety and affordability need to be carefully considered. More importantly, the user of any handling tool should also know what specific issues need to be addressed in moving materials and equipment within the warehouse to determine more easily the type of handling tool to be used.

How heavy is your load?

The first question to ask is: What will I move? Whether they are light as toolkits or as heavy as automobile engines, the actual weight of the items that need to be transported within the warehouse should first be determined.

The amount of load will definitely be a key factor in choosing the capacity of the truck or cart to be used. Lighter materials and equipment can be moved through the use of plastic-made service carts. Refrigerators and cabinets may be moved by using an appropriate hand truck, while a pallet truck can carry a cash vault weighing as much as 11,000 pounds or five and a half tons!

For those who are still not aware, a hydraulic pump is a necessary feature in any pallet truck of today. Remember that in purchasing any pallet truck, the hydraulic seals should be air-tight and dustproof so that the tool will be assured a longer life.

Make sure that you choose a truck or cart that will not only be able to carry the heaviest material or equipment that you currently have inside the warehouse, but also choose one that has allowance for extra weight just in case unexpected heavier items would be need to be moved. The amount of allowance should be carefully determined beforehand.

Maneuverability

Have you ever had the problem of parking your car especially when double parked vehicles narrowed the parking space to a one-way-alley? The same could be said of a full warehouse where twisting and turning of transport equipment would be difficult. This can spell inefficiency, especially if materials and finished goods need to be delivered to their respective production plants and clientele immediately.

Service carts usually have little to no problems in getting around even with limited space. Pallet trucks on the other hand could sometimes have much difficulty turning at tight corners. The kind of handling tool that you would need in this situation is one that does not only steer in as much as a 200-degree angle, but one that allows for perpendicular or lateral movement, much like the usual lateral truck. Its steering handle should be able to turn sideways and a lock should keep the perpendicular direction of the steer-wheels. The front wheels should also be able to move or turn sideways, yet commonly, an extra pair of wheels is installed just in front of the front wheels and made for lateral movement. This feature allows the user to move forward and sideways which can be a lot of help in tight areas. There would be no need anymore for rearranging in small warehouses.

Safety and Comfort

Common problems involving palette trucks include 1) employees backing into walls, 2) employees running over their own feet, 3) falling equipment on employees and 4) muscle strain, while service carts are observed more often for corrosion, steering problems and leaks.

Fortunately, most companies add features such as ergonomic steering handles, which address issue number 4 above and dead-man switches to prevent issues 1, 2 and 3 as well as other unnecessary accidents in transporting goods from warehouse to warehouse. Make sure that these two features are always considered along with the truck’s capacity.

In selecting quality service carts and hand trucks, durability becomes the number one factor. Rugged utility plastic carts should be preferred over steel counterparts to avoid corrosion and dents, especially if they are to be used for food delivery purposes or other delivery activities involving liquids.

However, solid steel carriers needed for carrying much heavier loads should be made of genuine, stainless steel and top shelves or decks should be with vinyl mats or similar materials in order to prevent sliding of equipment

Additional Features

If you would prefer machines that have multiple uses, today’s electric palette trucks may also come equipped with digital scales and mounted sensors, electronic lift and unloading controls, three-position hand controls, pneumatic wheels and portability features.

Digital scales and mounted sensors increase productivity by automatically reading the weight of the palette load the moment the palette truck loads. Some digital displays also have weight-unit conversion features.

Be warned. Cheap imitations of sensors can break and malfunction with only little use. That is why it is best that the user first confirms that the manufacturer of the palette truck to be purchased is trusted.

Electronic lift and unloading is becoming more and more of a basic feature of most palette trucks as users could save the trouble of having to crank the jack repeatedly in order to lift the palette load.

Pneumatic Wheels save floors from being scratched and damaged when moving materials and equipment.

Portability features may also be considered in selecting the best handling tool for a user, as different types of hand and service carts could be folded or disassembled in order to fit into car trunks, cabinets and whatnot.

And finally, palette truck users can also make use of adjustable fork-width features especially for palettes of different sizes and alignment purposes.

Carbide products have variations to suit for the specific needs of the users. The products range from tools, equipment and machines to bands and rings. These products are produced due to the metal working processes. Regardless of the type, all carbide products take a lead over its competitors since they are known and trusted by customers all over the world. Even in the mining industry, carbide tools are needed. This includes dry and wet drilling tools as well as high speed drill steel. Dry drilling tools Dry drilling tools are self sharpening tools normally used by mining industries. These has a noise adjustment and produces no or reduced dust whenever used. A safer work environment is a probability because it cannot create more noise unlike other drilling tools. Besides, replacement is seldom and this is the reason why lesser time is wasted. Wet drilling toolsLike dry drilling tools, wet drilling tools is efficient because they use self-sharpening technology. There is also noise and dust reduction. It improves mining operations because the tools drill faster; thus, increase the industry’s productivityHigh speed drill steelCarbide products are known of durability and quality and the high speed drill steel is no exception to this. These tools can easily fit all kinds of mining operation since they have the custom conversion. These carbide mining tools and equipments are of high quality and heavy duty equipments necessary for excavation and digging of the mining sites. Once a mining project is initiated, the mining industries as well as their financiers face great risks while in the process of completing the project. But there is no fear of financial loss once the mining tools and equipments used are carbide products because they are long lived and durable. Seldom can there be replacements. Carbide products are worth your money and can help make the mining industry more profitable.Also, with the use of carbide tools, equipments and machines, there is reduction of lag time because of the smooth functioning while in used in the mining operation. In other words, the miners do not stay longer in the mining sites since the project can be easily completed with the use of carbide products.  Centennial carbide does offer lifetime warranty on the products they sell. They have the courage to do this because the company knew very well the materials used in the manufacture of these carbide tools, equipments and machines.With regards on the prices of these carbide products, the prices are more affordable compared to other brands. As to the safety in the use of the products, they are accident free because in addition to the products safety accessories are given free to the buyers of the products. It is a known fact that extracting mines is an expensive project depending on the machinery equipment used. But if mining companies are extra careful about the purchases of these equipments then more benefits can be given to the mining industry. What are you waiting for? Carbide products can be of great help to the mining industry.

Guidance for the prevention of dropped tools and items while working at heightFallen tools could cause harm to people, damage to machinery as well as generate costs associated with lost output time. Some typical examples of the effects associated with dropping an object shows the likely-hood of injury or even death from falling objects, relative to the mass and height from which a fall happensA bolt dropped from 23 metres is actually equivalent of being dropped from the 6th floor of a building. The actual velocity attained is 50mph / 80kph on impact. The bolt achieves a mass impact weight of 49.5kgs at this time, resulting in a fatal injury even though hit on the head whilst wearing a hard hat.A screw driver dropped from 14 metres is same as getting dropped from the 4th floor of a building. The velocity attained is 38mph / 61kph on impact. The screw driver achieves a mass impact weight of 73.5kgs at this point, causing a fatal injury even though struck on the head whilst wearing a hard hat.A claw hammer dropped from 6 metres is same as being dropped from the 2nd floor of a building. The speed attained is 24mph / 39kph on impact. The claw hammer achieves a mass impact weight of 117kgs at this time, resulting in a fatal injury even if struck on the head whilst wearing a hard hat.A sledge hammer dropped from 3 metres is equivalent of getting dropped from the 1st floor of a building. The velocity attained is 17mph / 27kph on impact. The sledge hammer achieves a mass impact weight of 147kgs at this point, resulting in a fatal injury even when struck on the head whilst wearing a hard hat.This is a guideline only and in fact even a light-weight item fallen from a considerable height may well turn out to be fatal.Prior to when Work StartsPrior to work being carried out there should be a risk assessment and a method statement which in turn details procedures, specifications for tools, equipment, systems and offers where necessary checklists.People today need to have Know-how, Awareness, Expertise, and also ComplianceDropped ToolsThere’s a serious possibility of fallen items while handling tools at height and a number of these kinds of incidents are becoming reported.Before beginning any type of activity, take into account the chance for dropped tools and objects:Recommendationso Any tools used at height need to be anchored against dropping.o Lanyards, tethers together with connectors must always always be used in between the various tools and belt or bag.o There must be a weakened link or safety provision in between the actual tool and tethering system on the belt or bag.o Wrist straps must only be worn if they offer protection against injury a result of de-gloving.o When there is a need for additional tools, a tool bag / belt with structural anchorage loops should be used.o If the method statement requires it, at all times log tools out and in in the tool register, to ensure that no tools have been left behind.o Put in position barriers below the job area and make sure the extent of the barrier area is appropriate for the work being carried out at height.o Make certain that any grating is safe and make full use of mats as well as short-term covers in places you have got the possibility of small items to fall through gaps.o Wherever a scaffolding platform must be used, make certain toe-boards are fitted.o Continue to know about other activities going on close to as well as under youDropped transportable equipmentA number of recorded occurrences relate to dropped radios, pagers, gas detectors as well as other mobile or portable equipment.Recommendationso All portable devices used at height needs to be secured against dropping.o Carrying pouches should be used for radios and all sorts of other mobile or portable equipment without any dedicated connection point.o The locks for the pouches will have to have a double securing mechanism to safeguard against accidental opening.o Belt clips which enable the radio to become detached when turned 180 degrees should not be used.The likelihood for fallen items during repair and installationWork at height is serious and is particularly shown in a significant amount of reported incidents.Recommendationso All repair along with maintenance work at height needs to be risk assessed.o All components, equipment as well as materials used at height must be anchored against dropping.o Small components should be kept in suitable storage containers or similar.o Once the tasks are finished, a final check needs to be completed, to make sure that no materials or equipment has been left at height.Always keep your worksite tidyRecommendationso Just before work begins, visually examine the work location for loose objects and also debris.Check the actual equipment and also structures within the work area to make certain that any type of fasteners, bolting, covers etc are properly secured.o Tools, equipment along with components must be secured in a secure location at the end of each shift.o Once the work is completed, one last check as well as inventory count must be completed to make sure that absolutely no tools, equipment or materials have been left behind at height.o The actual worksite must be left in a tidy and clean condition, and all tools, equipment and materials must be returned to their designated storage place.Additional ConsiderationsEven if you’re current job isn’t at height, think about the environment where you will carry out the task in addition to any other activities which may be taking place around you.Low-level applications include things like preventing tools from falling in to engines as well as gearboxes, food and pharmaceutical manufacturing lines, underground shafts etc.High-level applications can include construction sites, wind turbines, cranes, buildings, bridges, telecom masts, electric power lines, railway gantries, aircraft hangers, steel structures, buildings, Scaffolding, towers etc.Sectors in which control of tools is critical includesAirline Industries, Aerospace, Automotive, Civil Engineering, Construction, Demolition, Energy,Environment, Factory, Food, Inspection at height, Marine, Nuclear, Mechanical and Electrical,Military, Oil and Gas, Onshore and Offshore, Pharmaceutical, Plant and Machinery,Powered Access, Process and Chemical Plant, Rail, Roof and windows, Shipping, Steel, Telecommunication, Utilities, to identify merely a few.The Leading Edge Safety’s response to these pressing needsOne of the greatest issues working with tools at height applies to conduct, work procedures and inappropriate securing of tools and equipment.Leading Edge has produced a range of tool lanyards, tethers, bags and belts to offer satisfactory securing of tools and equipment while working at height.We have developed professional training courses for those working at height as well as now provide a tool tethering course.For additional guidance on dropped tool legislation and your legal responsibilites visit: http://www.toollanyardsbagsandbelts.com/legal-guidance/