Handling The Holidays In Your Warehouse or Supply Chain

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The holiday season is usually the busiest few weeks of the year for Indiana warehouses and supply-chain businesses. It can get hectic, unmanageable, and even dangerous at times. Let’s take a look at some of the things that Indiana material handling companies need to remember during the holiday season.

The Holiday Season is Safety Review Season

With the new year rapidly approaching, it’s time to review safety protocols for your company. OSHA requires management to evaluate the performance and knowledge of all forklift and material handling operators once every three years. Take the time to get this out of the way now so you don’t have to invest in more forklift operator training.

The end of the year might also be when the window closes to send any products back that have had safety recalls. Whether it’s a rental forklift or any other type of material handling machinery that you’ve bought or leased, scan www.recalls.gov for any relevant product recalls before the end of the year so you don’t miss the window for free repairs or reimbursement.

Dealing with the Holiday Rush for Your Team

If the holiday season is crunch time for your workplace, chances are your team has the opportunity to load up on overtime hours. While that’s a great chance for employees to earn some extra holiday income and can help you manage the heavier workload, it’s important to supervise this kind of work. It’s easy for an employee working double shifts every day to become drowsy while operating a forklift, so make sure you manage these kind of shifts and schedule frequent breaks for your team during the season.

Overtime shifts can also result in your team working in conditions they aren’t used to working in. For example, a loading dock worker might not be used to working nights, and could easily slip off the dock with the limited visibility. Be sure that all overtime employees are aware of the changes across different shifts.

Navigating Holiday Weather In Material Handling

In Indiana, the holiday season means colder weather, which means ice, snow, and all sorts of nasty hazards. There are two major things to know when the holiday season rolls around:

  • How your forklift responds to intense weather - Snow, sleet, hail, and ice can have serious effects on how easily your forklifts start up, brake, or lift. Be sure all operators know what part the cold weather can play in their operation and what steps they can take to maximize safety and productivity.
  • How to minimize weather-related risks in your factory - In a semi-open environment like a warehouse with loading bays, the cold weather can cause exhaustion, cold extremities, and snow or ice accumulation that increase the likelihood of accidents several times over.

Happy Holidays from Tynan Equipment Company!

Most importantly, Tynan Equipment Co. wants to wish you and your team the safest and happiest of holidays. If your team needs help navigating the holiday rush when it comes to material handling equipment or best practices, don’t hesitate to reach out by calling us at 317-597-4003.
Holiday safety in your warehouse or retail racking is paramount.

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