The Material Handling Blog

Find out how pallet positioners like the PalletPal™ can make loading and unloading pallets faster, safer, and easier for your workforce.. Read: What is a Pallet Positioner and Why Do I Need One?

Conveyor equipment can be dangerous if not used in the proper manner and with necessary safety precautions in place. To prevent injuries and accidents, OSHA has outlined several conveyor safety standards, which we'll review and expand upon. Read: Understanding OSHA Safety Standards for Conveyor

Each year, roughly 25 percent of forklift-related deaths are caused by an overturned forklift, and other forklift truck accidents lead to significant injuries and damage--most completely avoidable. To reduce the risk of accidents, here are the top ten tips for increasing forklift safety... Continue Reading >>

In my last blog article, What's the True Cost of Your Corporate Safety Program , I discussed the importance of corporate safety training and some of the most popular OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) citations in 2010. Now I'd like to review some of the costs that occur when workplace safety standards are not followed, which often results in violations with costly penalties that can reach upwards of $500,000, and in some cases, even jail time. Read More >>

In 2009, 4,340 fatal work injuries were reported in the U.S. Although that number is lower than in previous years, the importance of providing a safe work environment is still a very big issue for many employers. OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) mandates that business owners must provide safety training to all employees. However, owners are given the option of deciding what kind of training will be done and what topics will be covered as it relates to their business. Read More >>

Many companies wonder whether robots are safe to implement in their facility. Although an industrial robot will improve the ergonomic conditions in a production area, there is a perception that the robot will create an unsafe work environment. Although industrial robots do contain some potential hazards, they are all preventable as long as workers are well educated on the robotic system and the robotic integrator has fulfilled all job requirements, including proper installation, programming, and risk assessment. Read More >>

Few of us have been able to escape the unwanted, but necessary, cost-cutting initiatives of our employers during the past three years of the recession. In the interest of self preservation, we have combed through each line item of the corporate budget looking for hidden treasures to help sustain us until consumer demand returns. In addition to reducing the true costs of our goods and services, we have also turned to cost avoidance initiatives to help shore up the bottom line by delaying a multitude of expenditures, such as upgrading machinery, hiring new employees, and training efforts. This short-sited approach is great in the near term, but in the rush to save one dollar today, we often times fail to fully consider the long-term implications.