Manual Loading and Unloading – Quick, Easy & Safe
Not every firm has either the need or the budget to invest in loading and unloading infrastructure such as a loading dock. This is fine for many businesses, depending on the nature of goods being moved. Manual labour is often sufficient to get the job done – particularly for non-palletised or loose goods.
However, much to the ire of the Health & Safety Executive, some of the methods used when manually unloading such goods can be incredibly unsafe and leave firms open to potential liabilities in certain cases.
Slips, trips, and falls remain one of the most common workplace injuries in the UK, accounting for around 40% of all workplace accidents. This is a particular hazard posed by the manual (un)loading of vehicles and containers - with unsecured ladders and workers standing on forklifted pallets being a common dangerous practise.
There is a way to keep your workforce safe (and keep you on the right side of the HSE) when manually loading and unloading – without the need for a large commitment: lightweight mobile platforms.
Designed to provide an easily deployable safe working platform for manual loading and unloading, lightweight mobile platforms are height adjustable and come with key safety features to help prevent accidents.
Featuring either a dockplate or bridgeplate for safe access between platform and vehicle, other safety measures include ladders with self closing gates, gas spring assisted barriers and optional Bimagrip anti-slip surface coating and are suitable for use with pallet trucks, sack trucks and the handballing of goods.
Lightweight mobile platforms are rated with a 2000kg capacity, allowing users to efficiently move goods to a safe working platform, which can then be lifted to ground level by fork lift truck.
Lightweight mobile platforms are also easy to use as they can be moved with either a forklift or manually when equipped with swivelling, braked castor wheels.
This easy deployment is an important feature as part of the motivation behind unsafe loading practices is time pressure and convenience. A safe loading platform that can be moved into place quickly can provide the best of both worlds – convenience and safety.
For more specifications and extra optional safety features, visit our lightweight mobile platforms webpage: https://www.thorworld.co.uk/loading-platforms/lightweight-mobile-platforms
Published: 06/06/2023
