A mezzanine floor lift can provide significant improvements to workplace safety and efficiency. This is particularly important in warehouse, industrial and retail environments where safety in moving goods around between different levels is paramount. It allows managers to address key operational challenges whilst enhancing the safety of workers.
Here are the ways in which your workplace can benefit.
Improvements in Efficiency
Faster handling of materials
A mezzanine floor lift allows quick and easy transport of goods between floors to reduce the time spent manually moving products via stairways or by manual lifting equipment. This helps to enhance productivity as workers can focus on other tasks.
Optimise the use of vertical space
A mezzanine floor lift takes up less space than a standard staircase and can be manufactured to your exact specifications. The lift system makes it much easier to transport goods to enable faster restocking and inventory turnover. With a mezzanine lift in place the company can make more efficient use of vertical floor space.
Mezzanine floor lifts are suitable for many different industries and can be customised to fit specific workplace requirements such as specific weight handling, sizes or load types. The adaptability of mezzanine lifts ensures efficiency improvements in any setting.
Reduce downtime
Manual handling, particularly of very heavy or awkwardly shaped goods can mean delays occur as workers may not be available within a particular timespan to move them. A mezzanine floor lift helps to ensure a smoother, continuous flow of goods to minimise the risk of downtime and potential loss in profits during peak operations.
Reduce bottlenecks
Automating the movement of goods between floors can help to streamline your overall workflow and reduce the bottlenecks which can occur in manual handling. Thus the entire process, from taking in new stock to order picking to despatch becomes more efficient.
How a mezzanine floor lift enhances safety
Prevention of injuries
Health and safety laws in the UK mean that the safety at work of employees is protected and managers must do all they can to ensure the regulations are strictly followed. Manual lifting of goods is one of the most common causes of injuries including sprains, strain to muscles or ligaments and sometimes more serious injuries. Some of these can lead to workers having to take significant time off. Severe injuries, if proven negligence is the cause, can lead to workers taking out a compensation claim. Employers could face stringent fines. According to figures compiled by Unison, up to 300,000 people in the UK suffer long-term damage as a result of manual lifting.
A mezzanine floor lift eliminates the need for manual transportation and reduces risks associated with carrying heavy loads upstairs or using ladders. It eliminates the risks associated with carrying goods up a flight of stairs and reduces the risk of a worker dropping something onto another worker. These risks are all mitigated through the provision of a safe, enclosed space for transporting goods.
Compliance with health and safety regulations
Stringent safety regulations including the Manual Handling Operations Regulations 1992 alongside the Health & Safety at Work Act 1974 place a duty on employers to perform risk assessments to reduce manual handling accidents and injuries. When you install a mezzanine floor lift you are ensuring compliance with these regulations through the provision of safer equipment and working practices for your workers.
Cost efficiency
With fewer accidents and injuries and reduced physical strain on workers, a company can save on costs associated with injury claims, lost work days and moving employees around to cover for absence.
A mezzanine floor lift is designed for continuous use and generally has a long lifespan along with lower maintenance costs.
All these reasons combine to make a mezzanine lift a worthwhile investment for any business.
