chaz2It’s all too easy to take the warehouse floor for granted – it’s there under your feet, or your wheels if you’re a forklift operator. The message is, you can’t neglect maintaining the warehouse floor or taking floor safety precautions.

Today’s increased emphasis on workplace safety extends to ensuring adequate safety precautions regarding warehouse floors. Putting in place such easy-to-achieve site safety measures as line marking and floor marking, slip prevention and spill response needn’t be expensive, and can make an immediate difference in preventing accidents.

Companies may be thinking twice at the moment about spending money on their warehouse floors. But even in the current climate they aren’t cutting back on safety for this part of their sites, says Derek Thomas, Rocol’s Business Unit Manager for Site Safety Systems: “2009 has been challenging but successful, with our site safety business only marginally behind last year.”

Derek believes the market for site safety products both in the UK and around the globe will remain difficult, although he sees signs of returning confidence: “Some companies have taken the opportunity to undertake maintenance works: other companies have only undertaken critical works but the food industry has remained buoyant and consistent.” He reckons warehousing and logistics will be a strong focus for Rocol next year, both third party and in-house.

Another warehouse safety and line marking supplier, ASG Services experienced a significant reduction in sales through early 2009, with an improvement over the summer: sales have remained lower than normal, but have stabilised. David Grundy says: “There has been a shift in demand for our warehouse label and sign products since the change in the economy.  Previously we worked on new builds as well as revamps, however now far more projects are reconfigurations. We’ve also found fewer requirements of our installation services for this part of our business. Customers have utilised their own people to fit labels and signs, partly due to cost but most often because they have people available.

“Our warehouse safety and line marking division has grown since its launch in October 2008. Line marking is still the most popular area, however customers are opting for the lower-quality, lower-cost method, which we provide but which isn’t always cost effective in the long term. Competition has increased, which has helped sharpen our approach and service, offering, a major factor in winning some recent orders.”

The current indicators are suggesting a quiet end to the year, says David, but he ends on a positive note: “We are also aware of more new build projects in September than for most of the year.”

Warehouse & Logistics News

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