Ergonomically Friendly Workplace

Employee Safety: Ergonomically Friendly Workplace

For National Safety Month, our goal is to touch upon all aspects of workplace safety. One that goes unnoticed is having an ergonomically friendly work environment.

An ergonomic work environment keeps employees comfortable and less prone to injury in the long run. Here are some of the small changes you can implement in your workplace to make it more ergonomically friendly for your employees.

Encourage Employees to Move Around

Being in one spot for a prolonged amount of time is detrimental to anyone’s health. By encouraging employees to take a short break every couple hours, this will actually make them more productive. By keeping the body active, employees are able to keep their minds active as well.

Finding Natural Posture

Being aware of posture is a small, yet effective way to maintain long-term health for your employees. Sitting up straight primes you for a relaxing walk on breaks, whereas walking after sitting in a slumped position does the exact opposite, and drains you even more. Keeping your back straight and upright will be more comfortable in the long run and make you feel more rested throughout the day.

Screen, Keyboard & Mouse Placement

Keeping your screen at an appropriate level reduces the strain on your neck. If you can anchor your screen in the middle of your field of vision, you do not need to tilt your head as much and strain your neck. Having your keyboard on a level surface, such as a desk, and at a position that keeps your wrists level, will not only improve comfortability but will also reduce the risk of carpal tunnel syndrome.

How do you keep your workplace ergonomically friendly? Let us know your tips as well!

Global Cold Chain Expo 2018

SSI at Global Cold Chain Expo 2018

It’s almost that time of year again! From June 25-27, Global Cold Chain Expo is in Chicago. It will take place at the McCormick Place, and Storage Solutions will be attending!

What is the Global Cold Chain Expo?

The Global Cold Chain Expo (GCCE) is the only event where businesses gather to find solutions and share best practices for managing the complexities of the perishable supply chain. According to the Global Cold Chain Alliance, the companies that attend the event gain a high level of brand recognition and targeted business development opportunities in front of key buying audiences.

We will have three employees at the show (Brian Blanner, Aaron Resiak, and Ian Mangan) so be sure to stop by and say hello!

Storage Solutions representatives will be on site for the entire show; Monday (6/25) through Wednesday (6/27). So make sure to visit us at Booth #3520!

Let us know if you’ll be attending GCCE or the other trade shows we will be at here!

Used Equipment Safety

Used Equipment Safety Standards

When buying used equipment, sometimes you’re not 100 percent sure what you are going to get. At Storage Solutions, our purchasing team has a system to make sure all the equipment we buy and re-sell is up to par with industry standards. The goal of used equipment sales is to be able to get you quality material at a fraction of the price while saving you the headaches of subpar equipment.

First and foremost, we want to ensure that the equipment we sell to you will be functional. We grade each piece of used material, and if it does not get a passing grade from our team, we will send it to be scrapped. If it is not good enough to use in our warehouse, we don’t expect it to be good enough for yours!

Certified Used Program

We also want to make sure the equipment is built to last. While equipment may be functional in the short term, we want to make sure that whatever we sell you is in it for the long haul. Our hope is to get you equipment that lasts for the entirety of your project, not just work as a bridge until you get better material.

Quality equipment is safe equipment. For that reason, we will only sell you used equipment that is up to par with our standards.

Do you have equipment that you want to sell? Contact our purchasing team today! If you want to buy used equipment, you can click here to learn more!

General Warehouse Safety Tips

General Warehouse Safety Tips

Safety is a critical part of any facility and some consider it one of the most important aspects that a company should focus on. June is National Safety Month, and to recognize it, we created a summary of warehouse safety tips that no facility should be without.

Want to learn more about our safety tips? Click here to download our full warehouse safety checklist!

EMPLOYEE SAFETY

Employees are the greatest asset to any facility, in order to protect that asset, it is imperative to abide by safety protocol. Employees should fully understand dress code and, if not, ask their manager to be clear.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) should be readily available to the worker, depending on the type of work being done. Safety glasses will protect workers from anything in the air that could potentially harm their eyes. Hardhats are another PPE that are typically worn when there is a risk of debris falling from above, or when working at elevated levels. Closed-toed shoes are almost always a must to be worn so that feet are fully protected. Hardhats, safety vests and safety glasses are just a few PPE’s in the workplace that helps to protect an employee from danger.

EQUIPMENT & MATERIAL

Safe material handling keeps a warehouse running smoothly. You can protect your material with the right safety equipment, (end of aisle guards, guardrail, column protectors, etc.) and by establishing material handling best practices.

It is important to ensure that all employees are properly trained on stacking material on high shelves, platforms or in high stacks. Have them keep heavy objects at the bottom and stacked neatly so items do not shift. Not stacking material correctly may heighten the risk of an accident to occur.

FORKLIFTS

Before every shift, make sure that your forklifts are not only operational, but shielded to keep the driver out of harm’s way from falling material. Operators should also be conscious of their own safety as well as others by making sure to always wear a seat belt, testing the warning systems, keeping a safe distance from other operators and honking when making a turn or approaching an opening.

International Roadcheck 2018

CVSA International Roadcheck: What You Need to Know

In honor of National Safety Month, we are kicking off June by sharing some valuable information on CVSA International Roadcheck! Some people may wonder why exactly Roadcheck is important to us in this industry. What you may not know is that Storage Solutions has our very own equipment delivery division! Getting materials to our customers on time, and in the safest way possible, is a very important part of what we do!

What exactly is International Roadcheck?

International Roadcheck is an annual event sponsored by the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, or CVSA. This year, the event will take place June 5 through June 7. During the three day event, there will be a significant increase in the number of vehicle inspections taking place throughout the United States, Canada and Mexico. The emphasis of these inspections will be on a very important topic, hours of service compliance.

In addition to the focus on hours of service, inspectors will also be looking at things such as brake systems, cargo securement, lighting devices, tires and more. For a full list of details, you can view the press release available on the CVSA website. You can also view last year’s results here to get a better sense of what inspectors are looking for.

As always, safety is a top priority for us in this industry! We look forward to bringing you safety tips and information all month long.