Health and safety is a key requirement for all companies, particularly in industries where accidents can lead to serious or even fatal injury. HSE statistics show that in the past 20 years there has been a downward trend in the rate of fatal injury in the workplace, though in recent years this trend is showing signs of levelling off. Where accidents are the result of mishandling of dangerous or heavy goods the importance of using the correct products and equipment is obvious. Strapping together bundles of material or securing them with pallet wrap is a safety precaution when materials are stored in warehouse racks or in transit as it reduces the risk of products falling and causing injury.

Health and safety issues in the workplace are area that all companies want to avoid. Not only is it dangerous for workers to work in an unsafe environment and use equipment that could potentially cause injuries and dis-comfort, it reflects bad on the company and can leave them facing fines. Providing workers with the correct equipment during the work they carry out not only makes for a more effective and efficient working environment, it works toward keeping workers and people in the surrounding environments safe.

Keeping pallets secure and safe is a vital role in all industries, whether it is through the use of pallet wrap or strapping, each has their benefit. The securing of a load should be a primary concern for all road users, particularly when transporting a significant volume of goods. It is not unknown to see pallets collapse onto roads or in warehouses with the resulting impact being expensive and potentially catastrophic. Securing loads is key to ensure they remain on vehicles on the road and to ensure that they do not present hazards when loading, travelling and unloading.

Wrapping pallets by hand is a very common warehouse operation and unfortunately so are the health and safety issues that can come with it. Many high volume operations will use automatic pallet wrap machines to ensure consistent wrapping, however, when faced with having to wrap pallets by hand companies do not often realise the health and safety issues involved.

Wrapping loads by hand causes an array of issues:

Even though still common, these hazards can easily be reduced with the use of correct equipment and training. Kite’s 5×5 pallet wrap hand dispenser system is designed to improve efficiency and comfort of wrapping, requires no bending or stretching and encourages the operator to walk forward, improving wrapping speed and reducing fatigue. Ensuring pallets are uniformly wrapped and less film is wasted it applies hand stretch film around pallets just like a machine

Kite’s 5×5 consistently wraps pallets and reaches optimum level when the film is stretched, improving puncture resistance. The pre-stretch rollers provide efficiency with an average time of 1 minute to wrap a pallet. The system requires less stock, reduces storage by 60% and decreases packaging waste by up to 70%.

Strapping (or banding) is commonly used throughout industries as a key method for sealing and securing goods. Its popularity is down mainly to the versatile range of materials, tools and applications available to companies who utilise strapping as their key packaging solution. Employed for bundling items together for easier handling, attaching items to pallets and crates, reinforcing cartons and boxes or fastening goods together; strapping in all its forms is increasing in popularity.

In order to maintain the integrity of a load as it travels through the supply chain or warehouse it is key to use the appropriate strapping. Securing and stabilising loads (commonly pallets of heavy items) while in transit, ensures pallets don’t de-stabilise, products don’t get damaged and health and safety problems are avoided.

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www.kitepackaging.co.uk