Feature Warehouse safety


Safe as warehouses M


Jean-Paul Gatel, managing director of Verlinde explains why safety in the warehouse needs good products as well as good practices


any years of stringent health and safety legislation have ensured warehouses are not quite the dangerous places to work they used to be. But there is no room for complacency, and the need to have safe working practices entrenched with safe equipment has never been greater.


Here in the UK, the risks posed by storage, racking and vehicles in ware- houses is well known, but fire tends to be reduced to knowing and keeping escape routes clear and is not always associated with equipment. Yet lifting equipment can play a critical role in reducing fire risk, particularly in ware- houses that may store and process potentially explosive substances. Verlinde specialises in explosion- proof cranes and hoists and regularly supplies such hoists to the petrochem- ical industry, but these types of lifting product are required in other more benign market sectors too, of which the warehouse environment is a good example. There has been an upsurge in demand for Atex cranes and hoists, not just from the traditional industrial, petrochemical and offshore markets, but new manufacturing, engineering environments and warehouses need- ing to comply with EU and other


global industry standards. Since 2003, all European organisations must pro- tect employees from atmospheres, which can be caused by gases, mists, vapours or combustible dusts of even seemingly benign everyday products. Many materials in dust form (if they oxidise) can generate a potentially explosive mix. Coal is a well known example, but paint ink, adhesives, cleaning fluids can all produce poten- tially flammable vapour. While no one will be surprised to see coal and adhe- sives on a list of potentially explosive products, it’s the more mundane sub- stances - flour, sugar and even pow- dered milk that can be equally dangerous. This puts Atex cranes high on the menu for the food industry and any warehouse needing to store and move such products safely.


The ease by which liquids give off flammable vapour to ignite on the application of an ignition source is called Flashpoint. Substances are clas- sified as extremely flammable, highly flammable, and flammable. The Dangerous Substances and Explosive Atmospheres Regulations 2002 (DSEAR) and Atex require employers to assess the risk of fires and explosions and to eliminate or reduce these risks. Verlinde’s key products in this field


Explosion proof cranes and hoists such as those from Verlinde can play an important role in warehouse safety


are the Eurolift, Eurochain and Eurobloc hoists, which remain identical in per- formance to the standard cranes of this type but are fully EX (Atex certified) explosion proof. The use of ‘spark proof’ materials (such as bronze) is said to set these products apart, together with sealed units to protect them from flam- mable gases or dusts.


Verlinde www.verlinde.com Enter 304


Hoists and lifting equipment also need to be safe for employees. Eurochain specialises in this, delivering the highest levels of explosion proofing, user safety, productivity and ease of maintenance. Designed to provide users with the maximum level of safety, even the standard version of Eurochain features a new patented lift- ing load wheel concept, very low volt- age command (just 48V), safety electric limit switch and full compli- ance with the CE machine directive, yet can still safely lift up to 2.5 tonnes on one wire. For employers needing to be mindful of noise, Eurochain’s high precision machining on the gear trains guarantees operation with very low noise levels. The patented 5-slot lifting loan wheel provides perfect control and avoids any risk of jamming. Verlinde’s global experience has taught us that health and safety is not about winning one battle, but an ongo- ing war to secure employee safety and fight against the risk posed by over-con- fidence. Be it a warehouse in Belfast, Bristol or Beijing, all of us want success and productivity, but the price of suc- cess must never be paid in human lives. For more information, the


Warehousing Health and Safety forum and the HSE are good starting points.


The right precautions to minimise cold store accidents W


arehousing and storage cover a wide range of activities that can result in various hazards. The harsh environ- ment found in cold stores can exac- erbate these safety implications and, as such, requires additional safeguards and training. Shaun Evers, managing director at Stonegate Instruments, looks at the potential risks and how technology can help employers protect their most valu- able asset – people – from harm. According to the Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999, it is every employer’s duty to ensure that its workplace is safe and to assess and attend to any health and safety risks staff may be vulnerable to.


Employers are also obliged to provide the necessary protective clothing or equipment to ensure that safety signs are provided. In addi- tion, if a company employs five or more staff it has to draw up a Health and Safety Policy statement, with emergency procedures. Despite all these measures, sometimes even


Factory Equipment MARCH 2013


the best workplace health and safety arrange- ments can go wrong.


Many hazards, such as accidental lock-in, handling and accidental release of refrigerant, injury caused by a cold environment, ice build-up, increased risk of accidents, and increased risk of equipment failure are specific to cold stores, which can operate at temperatures as low as -30 °C. This means careful plan- ning and a dedication to safety are top priorities for keeping workers injury free. One system that can help ensure the safety of cold store employees is a trapped personnel alarm, designed to monitor latching emergency push buttons located inside cold stores and give audio as well as visual alarms if someone is trapped. These can be panel, door or wall mounted, are backed up by batteries and have mains failure alert mechanisms, as well as mute and repeat features, and is activated when the person trapped in the cold store strikes the emergency


alarm button. Another risk specific to working in cold stores is the handling and accidental release of refrigerant gases; equipment failure, improper maintenance work, mechanical damage or accidental release during refrigerant replenishment can all produce a potentially hazardous situation. The greatest hazard comes from the release of ammonia, a toxic and flamma- ble gas that should be handled with extreme care. Halocarbon refrigerants are of a lower toxicity but still pose a major risk. As such, it is essential to have a gas detec- tion system – designed to detect gases, including ammonia and halocarbons – in place to prevent serious health problems or fatalities in the event of a refrigerant gas leak. Companies using cold stores should also be aware of The Confined Space Regulations 1997 as dangers can arise in confined spaces because of lack of oxygen and, with cold stores specifically, through low temperatures. Stonegate Instruments


T: 0113 224 4440 www.stonegate-instruments.co.uk Enter 305 13


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