Distribution and fulfillment companies are always looking for ways to maximize their spaces, so they frequently use mezzanines and elevated workstations to fill their buildings to capacity. After a safety audit, a major cosmetic company contacted their trusted safety distributor to provide the following safety solutions: a staged inflow of palletized bulk products for their pick/pack operation and protection for their employees from the open work edges created after pallets clear the rolling racks. To meet all the company’s needs, the operations were broken down into the two phases: product inflow and empty pallet outflow.
For the inflow, a version of our standard Pallet Flow Gate was chosen. These one-way gates allow full pallets to be loaded from the aisle side of sloped roller racks and rolled toward the picking stations. The full pallets act as a barrier until they roll clear of the gates.
Once clear, spring hinges close the gate behind the products, creating an OSHA-approved fall protection barrier. The customer chose a panel for the lower rail to more easily provide a visual indication that the gate was closed.
For the empty pallet outflow, a version of the Garlock Safety Rollback Gate was selected. Pallets are stacked ten high in a bay. To remove the stack, a worker closes the nearest gate opening to the aisle so the lift truck can remove it.
Passive fall protection is the most effective way to protect workers from fall hazards because there is no need for any special apparatus to be worn that may restrict their movement. Also, a sturdy barrier is always between the hazard and the worker. An added benefit is that no special training is required, making it the easiest solution to implement.