Alliance Healthcare (Distribution) has upped warehouse safety at its distribution centre in Exeter after taking advice from ASG Services.
The 56,000 sq ft facility is used to distribute medicines and over the counter products to pharmacies, doctors and dispensing doctors, with deliveries made twice daily.
As an automated system has been installed, together with very narrow aisle pallet racking, Alliance Healthcare wanted to ensure the health and safety of the personnel working in the same area.
ASG fitted all pallet racking with end of rack protection and a number of pedestrian walkways were also guarded using a combination of barrier and hand rails with an additional 100mm x 75 mm angle fixed to the floor to prevent the forks of any forklift trucks causing damage or injury.
Pedestrian routes through busy areas were marked with painted lines and floor signs were applied to make all personnel aware of the danger of forklift trucks. A similar sign was also used to bring awareness of pedestrians to forklift trucks operators.
In addition to the floor signs, health and safety signage was a key requirement to completing the project. Fire exit directional signs were installed around the building as well as ASG’s anti-slip self adhesive fire exit hatch.
Retractable barriers were used at the entrance of rack aisles to signal to forklift truck operators that personnel are working there and magnetic belt barriers have been installed to prevent personnel from walking into forklift aisles when trucks are operating. These were made with magnetic ends to ensure that in the case of emergency access they could be released easily.
The workstations at the end of racks have been protected with high level barriers while the battery charging area wall has been protected by low level barriers. All these barriers have 100mm x 75mm angle fixed to the floor to prevent further damage by forks.
The installation was carried out by ASG Services following submission of complete risk assessment and method statements and working with the client on site inductions and work permits.
