Safety

Hoist Inspection Guidelines Overhead hoists are used in manufacturing and warehousing facilities to lift, lower, handle and move loads. For safe operation, regular hoist inspections are critical. * By Jean Feingold * Overhead hoists are used in manufacturing and warehousing facilities to lift, lower, handle and move loads. For safe operation, regular hoist inspections are critical. Unfortunately, some companies wait ...

Videos Help to Share Safety Story  Recently, the Protective Guarding Manufacturers Association (ProGMA) created two videos: “Pick Module Safety” and “Vertical Reciprocating Conveyor (VRC) Safety.” Both videos have received praise from across the industry. Aaron Conway, president of Mezzanine Safeti-Gates, Inc. and the vice chair of the ProGMA, feels industry professionals should take the time to watch the videos. * ...

How AGV Systems Improve Safety at Material Handling Facilities * By Jean Feingold * An automatic guided vehicle (AGV) system consists of one or more computer controlled wheel-based load carriers. Typically battery powered, these systems operate on plant or warehouse floors or on paved areas outdoors without onboard human operators. Navigating using pre-defined paths, AGVs provide automated material movement, which ...

* By Jean Feingold * In the current tight labor market, facilities are seeking ways to streamline manual material handling (MMH) to increase productivity, reduce turnover and decrease injuries by adding equipment designed to improve ergonomics. To select the right equipment, it is necessary to view tasks holistically, examining the full series of movements needed to get the job done. ...

“Manual material handling (MMH) continues to be the number one reason for workers compensation claims and lost time injuries,” noted Jim Galante, chairman of MHI’s Ergonomic Assist Systems and Equipment (EASE) Industry Group and director of business development for MHI member Southworth Products Corp. “The majority of these claims are lower and upper back related, which are the most expensive ...

* By Jean Feingold * In the fall of 2016, the U.S. Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) passed a new walking-working surfaces standard for general industry (29 CFR 1910 Subpart D) which includes significant changes to fall protection requirements. Most sections of the new rule took effect on January 17, 2017. Although OHSA started working on revisions to this ...

Futureproof your business at MODEX 2018, Georgia World Congress Center, Atlanta, GA, April 9-12. Includes all the details you need to start mapping out your trip, and then some. Check out the list of exhibitors, the keynotes and some of the leading presenters, in addition to a full listing of the education sessions planned at MODEX 2018. Read More…

When large amounts of materials must be moved within a facility, using industrial carts with casters is the preferred and ergonomically sound solution. By Jean Feingold— An industrial cart with casters is the right choice “in any situation where an operator needs to push/pull light to heavy loads of material or manually pick material where ergonomic stress points are susceptible ...

Overhead crane safety tops the agenda as CMAA hosts its first safety conference at MODEX. By Brian Reaves— MODEX Welcomes The Crane Manufacturers Association of America (CMAA), an independent trade association affiliated with the Material Handling Industry (MHI), will host a one-day overhead crane safety-themed conference at next year’s MODEX show, which takes place 9-12 April 2018 at the Georgia ...

Electric Chain Hoists Are a Safe, Ergonomic Solutions for Load Movement in Industrial Facilities By Jean Feingold— Electric chain hoists have been mass produced since the early 1900s to lift and lower items in industrial facilities. Even for a relatively low-weight item, say 10 pounds, it is beneficial to use a hoist to prevent operator fatigue if the lifting process ...