PS Safety Access™ Offers Solutions To Some Of Modern Industry’s Biggest Safety Problems
Learn about some of modern industry's most challenging safety problems and how PS Safety Access products help successful companies to overcome them.
While the modern industrial workplace has become more and more efficient, it is still filled with risks for workers. Hazards such as elevated edges, ladders and dangerous machinery – including forklifts – continue to pose problems for employees and leadership alike. Can factories, warehouses and other production facilities truly maximize productivity while simultaneously maximizing safety?
The answer is yes, thanks to constantly evolving technology in the safety industry. The experienced team at PS Safety Access™ has developed a wide variety of products that allow for work that is both safe and productive. Read on to learn about some of modern industry’s most challenging safety problems and how PS Safety Access products help successful companies to overcome them.
Problem: Hazardous ground-level areas due to forklift traffic, automated machines and equipment pose risks for workers.
Manufacturing and warehousing facilities usually have powered industrial trucks, or forklifts, traveling throughout the space moving heavy pallets and carrying large loads. Forklifts can cause injury not only to the operator, but also to any pedestrians walking or working in the area.
Solution: EdgeSafe® Smart Gates, EdgeSafe® Personnel Access Gates
EdgeSafe® Smart Gates provide ground-level protection as well as fall protection for low-height guardrail openings or exposed edges. With just one hand, this gate lifts vertically 90 degrees (without pinch points), giving access to the restricted/protected area. Each gate is designed with a Lock-Out feature to prevent unauthorized access. They are perfect for traffic/pedestrian control, machine guarding and even aisle/perimeter protection. EdgeSafe Smart Gates are code compliant – OSHA 1910.29, ANSI A1264.1-2017, ISO 14122-3:2016, and Canada OHS SOR-86-304 Part II code requirements.
Similarly, the EdgeSafe Personnel Access Gate is the perfect way to warn workers about dangerous or off-limits areas. This floor-level gate swings bidirectionally (both ways) to allow pedestrians to enter or exit an access-restricted area. For example, it can be used to protect areas in which personnel and forklifts share the same traffic spaces. It has an incredibly long spring life (tested to 1 million cycles so far) and is adjustable from 21 to 48 inches. The EdgeSafe Personnel Access Gate makes no noise when it closes, and because the free end does not contact the railing, the opening width is variable.
Problem: Workers on mezzanines face risks around elevated edges.
Statistics from the United States Department of Labor show that in a single year there are nearly 700 deaths from falls to a lower level at workplaces. More concerning, these accidents are increasing at an alarming rate.
Solution: SafeMezz® Mezzanine Gates
Material handling includes fewer risks when SafeMezz® Mezzanine Gates are employed. These gates allow forklift operators to move materials to elevated spaces then slide the gate closed to protect employees from dangerous workplace falls.
The SafeMezz product line includes the SafeMezz Horizontal Gate, Vertical Gate and a Downward Gate, each with various operation options such as manual, electric, pneumatic (with electric activation) or fully pneumatic (for sparkless environments). Once material has been delivered to your mezzanine, close the gate to protect the mezzanine edge. The top-of-the-line SafeMezz360™ even creates a foolproof enclosed area that keeps workers safe on the elevated platform and includes a 5-inch safety toeboard to prevent objects from falling off the mezzanine edge. SafeMezz Gates are designed to meet OSHA standards 1910.28 and 1910.29.
Problem: Ladders are one of the biggest safety challenges in any facility.
Falls are among the most common causes of serious work-related injuries and deaths. Employers must set up the workplace to prevent employees from falling off of overhead platforms and elevated workstations.
Solution: EdgeHalt® Ladder Safety Gates
OSHA- and ANSI-compliant EdgeHalt® Ladder Safety Gates provide proven protection for workers, minimizing the chances of a fall on elevated platforms, mezzanines or ladderways. These self-closing swing gates provide top- and mid-rail protection to help ensure that your employees go home safe each night. The newest member of this product line – the EdgeHalt Adjustable Safety Gate – is flexible enough to fit openings 18 inches to 36 inches, reducing the need to measure every opening within a facility.
Problem: When not in use, loading docks present a fall hazard that can easily be overlooked. Hot work areas benefit from the ventilation of open dock doors, but the subsequent risks must be addressed.
Roughly a quarter of all reported warehouse injuries happen on loading docks, and for each accident there are hundreds of near misses.
Solution: EdgeSafe® Smart Gates
The EdgeSafe Smart Gate is the safe way to keep things moving on your loading dock by reducing the danger of falls from exposed edges during deliveries. They open easily with just one hand, and lift vertically 90 degrees (without pinch points) to ensure plenty of clearance. Available in single and double configurations to accommodate a variety of opening sizes, the double, for example, is well suited for low headroom and wide areas. They are built to last, resist slamming and allow you to open dock doors in order to provide fresh air and cooler temperatures for workers.
Problem: Boxes and materials become dangerous projectiles if they fall from pallet racks. Elevated edges on pallet racks present a danger to workers.
In a recent year, The Bureau of Labor Statistics categorized 278 fatalities as resulting from being “struck by falling objects.”
Solution: Pallet Rack Safety Gate
The Pallet Rack Safety Gate is a self-closing, dual-gate system designed to fit existing rack systems. Simply forklift palletized material through the gates and back away. The spring-loaded gate system self-closes along the platform edge, protecting personnel from dangerous falls and falling objects. The Pallet Rack Safety Gate complies with OSHA Railing Standard 1910.28 and 1910.29, including a 42-inch-high gate and mid-rail.
How to learn more about PS Safety Access™
If you are interested in making your facility safer, contact PS Safety Access now. Call us at 1-800-446-1519 or visit our website at http://www.pssafetyaccess.com. Many of our products are available for purchase online.
Sources:
- https://www.creativesafetysupply.com/qa/workplace-safety/what-are-common-facility-safety-hazards
- https://www.bls.gov/iif/data.htm
- https://www.bls.gov/opub/ted/2018/fatal-work-related-falls-to-a-lower-level-increased-26-percent-from-2011-to-2016.htm
- https://naspweb.com/blog/oshas-top-10-violations-in-2019-account-for-27k-citations-construction-industry-hit-hardest/
- https://www.ishn.com/articles/107356-slow-down-watch-out-know-the-facts-about-loading-dock-hazards
- https://www.bls.gov/iif/oshwc/cfoi/cftb0321.htm
