The modern warehouse is one of continuous, often rapid change. The material handling industry has faced a number of challenges in recent years, from the growth of ecommerce, the impact of the pandemic and currently increasing costs and economic uncertainty. Adapting to these has led to a drive to improve efficiencies and develop sustainable solutions through innovative technology. As companies find themselves in new situations and often have to make adjustments swiftly, it is vital that safety is never compromised.
One of the areas which has changed rapidly is the increasing voltages used in equipment in the material handling industry. At this year’s IMHX, UKMHA released its latest Guidance Notes (GN70) to address this. The new GN70 ‘Working On High Voltage MHE’, promotes safe working practices for the inspection, maintenance and repair of high voltage systems on MHE.
UKMHA Technical Director, David Goss, explains the importance of issuing this new guidance, “Working with systems where voltages above 120 V dc or 50 V ac may occur is potentially extremely hazardous if carried out without the correct procedures and training. Safety is at the core of UKMHA and with the continuing trend towards higher voltages, we have published this Guidance Note to highlight the risks associated with working with this type of MHE and detail risk reduction.”
In addition, UKMHA released a new Fact Sheet entitled “Battery Producer Responsibilities”. This guidance is freely available from the UKMHA website and is aimed at anyone introducing industrial trucks to the UK marketplace. It explains that, legally, the battery producer is the organisation who first places the battery on the UK market, therefore, this may be the importer of the truck rather than the manufacturer of the battery.
David Goss, explains, “Placing a battery on the UK market has many obligations. Battery producers must be registered and can be responsible for the safe disposal of other producer’s batteries as well as their own. Although there is a thriving scrap market for lead-acid batteries, lithium-ion end of life can be an expensive burden. We have published this Fact Sheet to help manufacturers, importers and distributors understand what the law requires of them.”
As 2023 approaches, it is clear the industry will continue to face new challenges in the economy, technology and the environment. UKMHA are committed to supporting and updating their membership on legislation, best-practice and Health & Safety associated with the latest developments.
Tim Waples
Chief Executive, UKMHA
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