Fall protection equipment like body harness are worn around the waist, thigh and body to secure workers and prevent them from falling.

We can never really predict life especially if we are working in a danger-prone work places.  Which is why, fall protection equipments are very crucial for jobs in constructions, factories, warehouses and the likes.

Fall protection equipment is typically used whenever workers need to work on high places such as roofs, decks, above large vehicles or tall buildings. Familiar examples fall protection equipments are body harness, fall limiters and lanyards. These safety products are usually made with premium quality nylon webbing, sewn together and attached with metal hooks or locks.

Body harness is a safety product that is worn around the body, waist and thighs to keep the worker safe and secure while he work up high. A lanyard on the other hand is a limiting device that has locking snap hooks on both ends wherein one end  is attach on the back part of the body harness  while the other part is attach on a solid, secure construction. While a fall limiter is self-retracting safety equipment that features a quick-acting braking system and a shock-absorbing lanyard that is attached on the back part of a body harness. You may usually see these safety equipment worn by windows cleaners and construction workers.

First aid kits and supplies are used to apply first aid treatment to workers whenever they have unwanted accidents.

Another very important safety product for every industry and businesses are first aid kits and supplies. These stuffs are used to apply first aid treatment on unwanted accidents that took place inside the working vicinity.

First aid kits usually contain assorted safety products and medications such as sterilized scissors, bandage, cotton balls, plasters and tapes, as well as familiar medicines like pain relievers, ointment, antiseptics and hot and cold compress. First aid kits are usually sold together with a metal or plastic case wherein you can keep all the supplies clean and safe. First aid kits are available in different varieties which range from basic to more multifaceted kits.

On the other hand first aid supplies includes stretchers, blanket, foil rescue blanket and head rest among others. These safety products are usually store on contain but easy to access areas or the company clinic wherein there are health professionals who can assist you. Although, it is necessary for employees to be trained how to properly use these first aid kits and supplies; most manufacturers still include instruction manuals in very kit and safety products.

Safety signs and posters usually have bright colors to capture the attention of workers and therefore warn them on the right time.

Whether you are running a small business or a large factory, it is very important you use safety signs and posters in your businesses daily operations. Safety signs and posters are smallest, simplest and most affordable way to keep your employees and working areas as safe and accident-free as possible. These paraphernalia are considered one of the most important equipments in any establishment. Most of the time, these are required whenever you are applying for business permits.

Safety signs and posters are used to let somebody know important information such as warnings, floor plan, safety measures, factory rules and regulations among others. Safety signs usually contain short, straight-to-the-point warnings and messages. On the other hand safety posters usually contain long, detailed instructions and information such as rules, guidelines and procedures. These safety products are usually attached on walls or presented by using floor cones or tripods, so as to immediately catch the attention of every individual nearby.

Safety signs and posters are available in bright colors like yellow, orange, red, blue and green, with black details. These are usually made with or printed on laminated papers, PVC sheets, woods or fiber glass. More favored brands of pre-made safety signs and posters are PRINZING and Rubbermaid.

Order picking equipment like this trucks usually have shelves which can hold items and stocks for easier, faster order picking.

If you are running a warehouse or  a simple storage facility, then it is necessary for you to constantly update your order picking system. This is to ensure productivity and proper utilization of time, space and stocks. It doesn’t matter how big or small your operation is; order picking is always an important of any material handling industry. However, you don’t necessarily need to change your system completely; small, changes and upgrades can also improve efficiency of your entire operations.

Below are some of the habits you can implement to boost productivity i your order picking system:

1. Reorganize items according to Order Profiles.

In any business, there will always be fluctuation in sales. So it is understandable when fast moving items last month becomes slow moving items next month. That is why, it is highly recommended to do monthly inventory and reorganization of stocks. Meaning, fast moving and highly salable items may be store in highly accessible locations while slow moving items may be store in less accessible locations. In line with this, it is also recommended to always brief your employees about a particular reorganization of stocks. If possible, product name tags or plates may be place accordingly for faster access of item location.

2. Know and Utilize the Golden Zone

In line with the first habit, it is important that you and your employees know what and how to utilize the Golden Zone of order pinking. The Golden Zone, if in case you are not familiar with it, is the area in the cabinet that is of the same height of your knees up to your shoulder. This area is considered as the Golden Zone because it can be easily access with less effort. Workers don’t need to reach, bend and lift as much when items are store in this particular area. Utilizing the Golden Zone makes oreder picking easier, faster and more accurate.

3. Make your Order Picking System as Simple as Possible

If you want to maintain a highly efficient order picking system, you must always remember that the simpler your system is, the the implementation is and the lesser the mistakes are done. So when setting up your new order picking system just keep it simple and straight to the point: from the stock organization, to the order picking steps and rules.

4. Implement the Batch Picking Concept.

Batch Picking Concept is always a better option than the one-grocery cart concept. This is simply because Batch Picking allows workers to utilize their time and energy as effectively as possible, thus making them more efficient.

5. Review and Analyze Your Order Picking System

As said earlier, it is best to review and analyze your order picking system regularly. Always ask yourself and your employees “how and why you do things”. This will help you identify the steps and processes that are no longer useful or applicable in your operation. Continually review your system and make small, simple adjustments. This is a better option than to make bigger ad drastic changes once in a year, which can disrupt your operations.

Finally, if you want further improvements in your order picking system, you may opt to upgrade your order picking equipment. Bahrns carries wide selection of order picking equipment like stock picking carts, trucks and ladders.

Around 95% of the 2011 Pallet Survey respondents said that they use hardwood pallets among other types of pallets.

It is given that pallets are widely used in industries that are handling heavy and bulk materials. This is because pallets helps greatly in moving materials with less effort and less time. Not only that, these platforms also protect the goods during the transporting process. Plus, pallets can be reuse several times.

According to the statistics, there are about 2 billion pallets moving across the United States alone. Modern Material Handling Magazine has sent out the 2011 Pallet Survey to their readers and has collected 594 qualified responses from readers who are working in industries that used pallets.

These are the results of the 2011 Pallet Survey:

Most of the respondents of the 2011 Pallet Survey work in different industries: 16% are from the food and beverage industry, 12% from consumer goods, 10% from wholesale trade, 8% from warehousing industry and the other 54% are composed of other sector such as pharmaceutical, allied products, aerospace and construction industries. These respondents are purchasing an average of 78020 pallets per year most of which are made of wood.

The survey also shows that the respondents used the pallets mostly for warehousing and shipping goods. Of the respondents who used the pallets for shipping, 40% used their pallets for exporting, 59% used pallets for one-way journey to their trading partners and 20% of respondents used their pallets in a closed-loop transporting.

Another interesting result of the 2011 Pallet Survey is that although the purchasing percentage of pallet has increased in 2011, there is also an increase of users who are consedering pallet rental system. The result shows that from 22% the number of pallet users who are now considering of renting pallets increased to 43% this year.

The Modern Magazine said that the survey has a ±5.6% margin error, however this survey clearly shows that pallets are indeed useful for different industries and that every unique pallet serve its own purpose. In addition Bruce Scholnick, president of the National Wood Pallet & Container Association (NWPCA) said that all make and types of pallets have its place in the market and that different pallets can be use depending on what and where the products will be moved.

If you want to kn ow more about the 2011 Pallet Survey and the 2011 Pallet Usage & Trending Study you can register online and join the Webcast hosted by Modern Magazine.