| Most goods in the grocery warehouse are stored for a period of time. Racking is used
to expand the amount of
storage that is possible. Metal racks are used for
storage and the area created within the racking is called a
pick bin or slot. Slots range in size, depending on the products stored.
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Potential
Hazards:
- Palletized product is stored in pick bins. Typically
pallets are placed on the floor (Fig. 1), which requires employees to bend
at
the waist to access palletized loads that come
to the warehouse stacked only a few feet high, or may be unloaded to the point where
they are only a few feet high. Even when these
pallets are stored in taller slots (Fig. 1),
employees must bend at the waist to access
product. This is a significant problem since the heaviest product is usually in the shortest stacks.
- Low racking can force employees to bend at
the waist to access loads. Loads in bottom bins (Fig.
2), will
require forward torso
bending to reach under the rack,
even when the top levels of the stack are at waist
height or higher.
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Fig. 1:
Bending required to reach boxes under racking.
Fig. 2:
Low racking.
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Possible
Solutions:
- Whenever possible, elevate the pallets within a
slot bin. The best technique is to place a
palletizer into a tall bin (Fig. 3). A palletizer will lower in
height under the weight of a full pallet, then will
raise the load as items are removed. The use of a
turntable (Fig. 4) allows employees
to reposition the load. This keeps the load close to
the body.
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Fig. 3:
A palletizer.
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Fig. 4:
Palletizer with turntable.
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- Pallets that do not have product stacked above waist height may be elevated by placing other
empty pallets under the load. Care
must be taken so the top level of the heavy product is not
raised higher than mid-chest height (Fig. 5).
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Fig. 5:
Empty pallets
stacked to raise product to waist height.
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- Raise the bottom level of racking so loads are at
heights where torso bending is not necessary (Fig.
6).
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Fig. 6:
Raised shelving.
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- Provide a device such as a forklift with a built-in vacuum hoist .
The strong suction can lift up to 150 lbs (Fig. 7).
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Fig. 7:
Vacuum hoist.
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Potential
Hazard:
- Employees often reach above shoulder height
(Fig. 8) to
access products on upper shelves. This causes stress
to the shoulders and back. Additionally, lifts
above shoulder height often require awkward
hand and wrist postures.
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Fig. 8:
Reaching above shoulder height.
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Possible Solutions:
- Use elevated rack locations as the overstock storage
area. Pallets of product should be lowered to more
appropriate heights prior to being selected.
Selections should be performed with arms close to the body.
- Provide employees with "Pick Sticks" or
"Bow Peep" hooks to pull small, light-weight
product closer to the edge prior to lifting (Fig. 9).
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Fig. 9:
"Bow
Peep" hook.
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Potential
Hazard:
- Double or triple slotting (Fig. 10 and 11) used to maximize
shelving space so the greatest amount of product can
fit in the smallest amount of space may increase ergonomic
stressors such as bending and elevated reaches. Workers
may be forced to bend at the torso to reach under
low racking to access product (Fig. 10). This product
may be stacked at desirable heights that would not
otherwise, if not for racking interference, require
workers to bend at the torso. Workers must reach above
shoulder height to access materials placed on three-tier
racking (Fig. 11) or to access tall, palletized loads
placed on two-tiered shelving. In general bottom and
top racking in three tiered systems creates significant
access issues.
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Fig. 10:
Double slotting.
Fig. 11:
Triple slotting requires elevated reaches to access product.
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Possible Solutions:
- Provide full slotting, especially for product that
is heavy or bulky, so employees can have better access
without undue reaching or bending (Fig. 12).
- Slower moving product that is fairly compact can be warehoused using
gravity fed flow
racks (Fig. 13). These
racks allow highly condensed usage of warehouse space. However,
hazards are
created by this type of racking since it must be
loaded by hand from the back of the rack. This can
require repeated elevated reaches, repeated bending of
the torso, as well as using box openers to cut open
shipping boxes. Also, Selectors must pull
product over the stop lips that keep the product from sliding
out onto the floor. Heavy product in the slot creates
additional pressure when lifting boxes over the stop
lips.
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Fig. 12:
Full
slotting.
Fig. 13:
Gravity fed flow racks.
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Potential
Hazard:
- Product is often removed from the front of pallets
first. This leaves the remaining product stacked in
the back of pallets, where employees must reach (Fig.
14) to access and lift product. This creates additional
stress on the shoulders and back.
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Fig. 14:
Reaching to the back of the pallet.
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Possible Solutions:
- Develop a product rotation process where pallets
are regularly turned using a forklift or pallet truck after the majority of product has been removed.
This involves pulling the pallet out of the slot,
turning it 180 degrees and replacing it into the slot.
- Place pallets on turntables (Fig. 15) so the pallet can
be turned and optimal access to the product can be
maintained at all times.
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Fig. 15:
For optimal
access, place product on turntable.
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- Roller and channel devices allow
the load to be pulled out for better access.
Addition of a turntable at the end of such a
device will allow the pallet to be turned and
then replaced into the slot with the load closer
to the front.
- Provide wider slots, especially for heavier
product, so Selectors can walk into the slot and
access all sides of the pallet. Stockers should
be trained to leave at least 16 inches between pallets
so there is enough space for Selectors to move around
the pallet during selection.
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Potential
Hazard:
- Aisle width may be insufficient for access to faster-moving
product. This may create congestion (Fig. 16) that forces Selectors to stop farther from
the pick slot and carry product longer
distances to the pallet jack. Selectors may be tempted to
carry multiple parcels at the same time to save trips.
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Fig. 16:
Congested aisle.
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Possible Solutions:
- Increase the width of aisles where fast-moving product is
located. This will allow more pallet jacks to
get closer and will reduce the distance that loads must be carried.
- Stagger the start times for
Selectors at the beginning of
the day so that fewer Selectors hit the same slots at the same
time. Five to 10 minute start differentials should provide
adequate spacing for sufficient disbursal of Selectors.
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