Wire Mesh Guarding

At WPRP, our goal is to help you by providing educational content and pallet rack products. But pallet rack isn’t all that we carry. A more accurate way of describing what we sell is solutions to warehouse storage problems. Pallet racking may be the foundation, but sometimes racking on its own doesn’t meet the full spectrum of a customer’s needs. That’s why we offer a full line of pallet rack accessories that help businesses make their warehouses safer and more productive. Often times a product that only came about as an afterthought or an add-on item on a quote can make the difference between a so-so warehouse and one that’s safe, efficient, and code compliant. That’s why we’re so excited to announce a new member of the WPRP 48 hour quick ship product family: BeastWire Mesh Guarding

Wire mesh guarding has a lot of benefits for pallet rack systems. One of the most obvious of these benefits is the additional safety. As engineering technology and strategies advance, pallet rack systems gradually get taller and taller. The higher up a load is on a rack system, the more damage it can cause when it lands. On top of that, the product itself is more likely to sustain damage on impact. A rack safety system like BeastWire helps ensure that no product leaves the racking unless the warehouse staff picks it.

Why BeastWire Mesh Guarding?

BeastWire has advantages over both safety netting and other types of steel mesh. One of these qualities is the raw strength of the product itself. Safety netting, which is commonly used on the back side of a rack system, is only made to stop small items. This means that with rack systems supporting large loads, it is only marginally effective. Over time, safety netting can also fall prey to fraying and cutting by loads with sharp edges, whereas steel mesh can withstand abuse from sharp, heavy product. The fully framed design utilized by BeastWire has been shown by independent studies to be twice as strong as unframed panels.

Aside from the quality and strength of its materials, one of the features that sets BeastWire apart is the innovative bracket design. BeastWire’s riveted bracket can save up to 90% on installation, and secures the rack system with a safety drop pin. The drop pin would be easy to overlook, but is a key safety feature. With the drop pin in place, the panel cannot be dislodged from the upright unless the safety pin is deliberately removed first. This eliminates the possibility of a panel accidentally disengaging and harming people or product.

To meet the needs of a wide variety of applications and pallet rack styles, BeastWire has four different bracket design options: fixed, adjustable, universal, and pivot. Each of these bracket designs lets the mesh panels function at their best for that particular system.

Pallet Rack Wire Backing

No matter the size of your bay, BeastWire rack safety panels can cover your needs. Panels can stack to cover the needed vertical coverage, and a single panel can span a width of 10’. For bays wider than 10’, simply join two BeastWire panels together using the 4” splice channel.

Wire Mesh Guarding Applications

So, how do you know when it’s a good time to use BeastWire mesh guarding on a pallet rack system? Any time wire mesh guarding can increase the safety of a warehouse is a good time to install BeastWire rack backing panels. 

Here are a few examples of common applications for BeastWire mesh guarding:

• When storing unbalanced loads that exceed 25 lbs. or objects with sharp edges
• On racking located next to pedestrian traffic lanes
• On any racking tunnels that sit above aisles with personnel traffic
• When a row of racking sits directly next to a wall, column, pipes or machinery
• In a flue space where items would become trapped if they were to fall

Questions?

Want to know more about the latest addition to our quick ship product offering? Give us a call! We have all the information you need on pricing, sizes, applications, availability and more.

Remember, our goal is to help you!

How ProMat Can Keep Your Company Moving Forward

From April 3 to April 6, over 850 solution providers and thousands of attendees will converge on McCormick Place, the largest convention center in North America, for ProMat, the largest expo for manufacturing and supply chain professionals in North America. If you plan on being one of these attendees, you’re in for a valuable experience. Year after year, in our experience, ProMat features some of the best educational and networking opportunities available for material handling professionals. At this year’s ProMat, we think that will be truer than ever. Here’s how ProMat can keep your company moving forward in 2017 and beyond.

ProMat offers a unique opportunity to learn about products first hand from solution providers.

Keynotes

ProMat always features an incredible lineup of interesting speakers, and this year’s show is no exception. In 2015, ProMat welcomed the likes of Whole Foods CEO John Mackey and Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak. In 2017, we’ll see none other than Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Markus Lorenz, and Andrew Winston. Lorenz is a Partner and Managing Director at the Boston Consulting Group, and Winston is a sustainability expert and author of the book “Green to Gold.” We’re especially excited to hear Magic Johnson’s keynote about knowing your customer and where they’re going. Does your company know how to change and adapt with customers’ evolving wants and needs?

Coming from experience, we highly recommend attending the keynotes and discussing the takeaways with your peers while you network. Keynotes are also a great opportunity to get active on social media and get in touch with other industry professionals who are at the show. We often live tweet the keynotes and are surprised to learn how many of our colleagues are at the same talk.

Inspirational keynotes provide actionable takeaways for your team. We like to live tweet nuggets of helpful information and connect with our peers on social media.

Making Connections

ProMat is one of the most potent networking opportunities available to us in material handling. With as many attendees and vendors as there are at ProMat, it’s hard not to make new connections on the floor, in the lounge or at MHI Industry Night.

Before heading to ProMat this year, make a list of the people you want to connect with. We like to do this in the form of a simple spreadsheet, but you can use whichever means is easiest for you. Contact your network ahead of time to notify them that you’re coming, and you’ll be more likely to connect with them in the midst of the busy show. Also, make sure to check out some of the organized networking initiatives like these:

Women in the Supply Chain Industry Forum

MHI partners with MHEDA and AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management and Education) to identify challenges women face in the industry and how to pave the path for the next generation of women

MHI Young Professionals Networking Event

MHI Young Professionals Network and PMMI’s Emerging Leaders Network join to provide a networking event where young professionals in material handling, supply chain & packaging industries can meet.

Educational Events

In addition to the four major keynotes, the ProMat show will feature more than 100 show floor seminars. Some of these seminars will come in the form of town hall-style forums discussing relevant topics for the future of material handling and logistics, such as autonomous vehicles and sustainable facilities. When you’re not busy networking or having lunch at the ProMat Bistro, educational seminars are an awesome way to learn things you won’t learn anywhere else.

Tips for New Attendees

Before we leave for ProMat, we want to offer a few last minute tips for attendees heading to the show for the first time or those looking to optimize their time there.

• Take advantage of the free shuttles to and from ProMat
• Utilize the bag check. You may not think you need it, but it can get tiring walking around all day, and having that backpack on doesn’t help.
• Head to the Bistro for your meals. It’s an awesome place to network with your peers, and it allows you to reserve tables for blocks of time so you’ll have a place to escape from the hustle and bustle of the show floor.
• Wear tennis shoes. While they may not go with your suit, athletic shoes make it easier to wheel around the show floor without getting fatigued.

If you’re heading to ProMat this year, we’d love to connect with you! Let us know how your experience at the show goes or if you’re able to put something from this article to use.

Remember, our goal is to help you!

Machine Perimeter Fencing Part Two: Applications

In our recent article about machine perimeter fencing, we talked about the improvements in workplace safety over the last century and the role that machine perimeter fencing has played in them. We also discussed machine perimeter fencing from an OSHA compliance standpoint, as regulators continue to place greater emphasis on safety. What we didn’t talk about are the potential applications of machine perimeter fencing and exactly how it increases safety and security, while helping businesses comply with safety codes.

Businesses violating OSHA standards can face stiff penalties

Machine Perimeter Applications

While we touched briefly on the fact that OSHA requires all machinery to have proper perimeter guarding, it’s important to understand which kinds of applications are subject to these rules and how they apply in different settings.

Machine guarding provides an effective way to protect personnel from flying debris, unexpected automated machine movement, process hazards, fast moving parts and other dangers associated with the use of machinery. Because of this, OSHA has mandated the use of machine perimeter guarding in warehouses with exposed machinery. The most comprehensive and general OSHA requirement is standard 1910.212(a)(1):

Types of guarding. One or more methods of machine guarding shall be provided to protect the operator and other employees in the machine area from hazards such as those created by point of operation, ingoing nip points, rotating parts, flying chips and sparks. Examples of guarding methods are-barrier guards, two-hand tripping devices,electronic safety devices, etc.

This standard summarizes the need for machine perimeter fencing, giving examples of machine hazard points and types of guarding that protect against them. Having established the basic requirement for adequate machine fencing, OSHA moves on to more general requirements. Wondering where to place the machine guarding? OSHA addresses this question with standard 1910.212.(a)(2)

 General requirements for machine guards. Guards shall be affixed to the machine where possible and secured elsewhere if for any reason attachment to the machine is not possible. The guard shall be such that it does not offer an accident hazard in itself.

Point of Operation Guarding

Within the realm of general machine guarding is point of operation guarding. Point of operation guarding refers to protection put in place at the point of operation on a given machine. Instead of guarding the entire area around a machine, point of operation guarding protects a specific hazardous point on the machine in order to keep the operator safe. 1910.212(a)(3)(iii)

The point of operation of machines whose operation exposes an employee to injury, shall be guarded. The guarding device shall be in conformity with any appropriate standards therefor, or, in the absence of applicable specific standards, shall be so designed and constructed as to prevent the operator from having any part of his body in the danger zone during the operating cycle.

Examples of machines that often require point of operation guarding include:

• Shears 
• Power presses
• Power saws
• Jointers
• Milling machines
• Guillotine cutters
• Forming rolls and calenders
• Portable power tools

Guarding for Specific Machines and Industries

There are also certain applications that require guarding to be installed in order for them to operate. This is a common method used to enforce warehouse safety, for obvious reasons. Without the safety mechanism in place, the worker can’t accomplish his or her job. When it comes to machine perimeter fencing, the machines required by OSHA to have this feature are revolving drums, barrels, and containers. 1910.212(a)(4)

Barrels, containers, and drums. Revolving drums, barrels, and containers shall be guarded by an enclosure which is interlocked with the drive mechanism, so that the barrel, drum, or container cannot revolve unless the guard enclosure is in place.

Within the “General Industry” requirements, there are types of machines with unique requirements due to the nature of their operation. Examples of these types of machines include woodworking machinery, cooperage machinery, abrasive wheel machinery, mechanical power presses, and mills and calenders used in the rubber and plastics industries.  

In addition to general industry applications, several industries have their own specific OSHA machine guarding requirements to follow. Textiles, bakery equipment, and telecommunications industries all have their own standards with which to comply. These are on top of those rules designated by the general industry standards.

In warehousing and machine operation, it’s almost always a good idea to err on the side of safety. There are an endless number of applications in which machine guarding can and should be used. This can leave some room for interpretation on the part of the warehouse manager. However, the takeaway from OSHA’s standards seems to be that if a machine could possibly injure someone, it should have machine guarding around or on it.

If you have questions about machine perimeter fencing or warehouse safety, please reach out and let us know! 

Remember, our goal is to help you!

Welcome to the “Material Handling Helpful Tools Series”. This article series spotlights a wide range of material handling professionals and provides helpful information for those in the material handling industry. Our goal is to introduce you to individuals and websites that can improve your access to relevant material handling information. Today, we will meet Albert Terrazas from “Save”ty Yellow Products.