While holiday music may be playing in the background, wrapping isn&#;t a seasonal activity for most warehouse facilities. In fact, pallet wrapping is an all-year-round activity and a critical component of warehouse safety. Pallet wrapping secures otherwise loose items onto a pallet to protect the inventory from damage and your workers from injuries. In some facilities, pallet-wrapping machines handle the task; however, that isn&#;t always the case. Instead, it becomes a manual operation with the goal of ensuring a uniformly distributed and stable load &#;here&#;s how that works.
Load stability and uniform weight distribution across the pallet are crucial elements of safe palletizing and wrapping. The reason is simple &#;forklift operators must be able to safely secure the pallet onto the forks, lift it and place it into a pallet rack system, conveyor, truck, etc. If the load is point loaded, meaning that it&#;s unbalanced and heavier in one area, it could easily shift, causing it to fall or dislodge all or some of the contents. The following guidelines will help you secure your pallet loads and protect your workers in the process &#;however, if you are working with content known to shift, such as bagged or loose materials, follow the guidelines detailed in our companion blog Palletizing Bagged Inventory.
Good wrapping starts with good stacking. Stack inventory without gaps as much as possible and use slip sheets between layers to help prevent shifting. Start with larger and heavier items on the bottom, and use a column-style stacking pattern where possible. Finish with lighter boxes at the top. Confirm your pallet load weight is within the pallet specifications.
Check the work area for hazards that could impede safe worker movement.
Release about two feet of stretch wrap and thread it through the corner block of the pallet &#;knot it to secure it to the frame.
Hold the wrap at both ends &#;without putting your hands inside the roll&#; and begin wrapping around the base of the pallet with a consistent, firm force while stretching the wrap. Make several passes (approx. 4), paying close attention that the corners are tight.
Work your way up the pallet in overlapping layers &#;continue to apply force while stretching the wrap.
When you get to the top, drag the wrap across the top and wrap around one corner. Repeat the process, alternating corners until the pallet is sufficiently covered.
Cut the wrap and smooth the loose end to the pallet. Do not leave the wrap loose, as it can get caught in machinery and cause injuries and damage.
Check the load for stability-contents should not shift if pushed against it; check the load&#;s top, middle, and bottom.
OSHA has identified several workplace injuries common to pallet wrapping. Implementing safe procedures and protective equipment can save your workers from painful injuries and your operation from downtime and worker&#;s compensation costs.
According to OSHA, back injuries are sustained from bending and pulling the wrap using the required force. You can mitigate these concerns with an ergonomically supportive wrap dispenser, lift tables, and wrap products that require minimal force while applying.
The Apex team has you covered, whether you need help optimizing your warehouse operations, designing or installing your pallet racking systems, or conducting safety inspections and training. We provide full-service support to our customers.
Warehouse safety and productivity are our priorities, so we created the Apex Rack Repair App. It&#;s a free-to-download app that guides you through a rack damage inspection. With the app, you can quickly address rack incidents, assess damage severity, order a repair, and, ultimately, protect your team from harm.
Just follow the prompts on the app to scan and photograph the damaged area, capture the system specs with preloaded selections and upload your findings. The Apex PROs will promptly assess the damage and provide any next steps.
If you need a professional warehouse safety and pallet rack inspection, just give us a call. The Apex PROs will come to you to do that job and provide a comprehensive report detailing any concerns&#; and solutions! All our repair kits are independent and custom-fit to ensure the most cost-effective, long-term solution.
Give the Apex Rack Repair App a try today. You can find it on Google Play and in the App Store.
Do you hand stretch wrap your pallets correctly? Pallets are wrapped to contain and protect your goods during transit and storage. If the pallet is wrapped incorrectly, it will have poor load containment and will increase the risk of product damage. It&#;s vital to ensure that the pallets are wrapped properly so that there is no risk to the load.
The Key to a Secure Pallet Load
The containment force should be consistent around the top, middle and bottom of the pallet.
Make sure the stretch wrap is tight by using a dispenser to apply the film.
Ensure there are no loose ends or film tails
The load should be locked firmly onto the pallet
Why Correct Stretch Wrapping is so Important
Did you know over 50% of damage is due to ineffective pallet wrapping?
Wrapping pallets correctly are particularly difficult when manually hand wrapping. Many see wrapping pallets as an easy alternative to buying a pallet wrapping machine. This is a false economy. The truth is a pallet wrapping machine will potentially pay for itself through savings on labour costs, stretch film and product damage.
For more information, please visit Eopac Machinery.
It&#;s impossible to achieve the same results wrapping a pallet by hand compared to a machine. The reasons for this are:
Inconsistent containment force &#; It&#;s easier for people to wrap tightly in the middle of a load than the top and the bottom, leaving weak points.
A poor load-to-pallet bond &#; It&#;s difficult for people to reach the bottom of the load and catch the pallet, and the film always seems to tear anyway. Without a proper load-to pallet bond, you risk the load sliding off its pallet during transit.
How to Hand Stretch Wrap a Pallet
The pallet load should be stacked tightly so that there is minimal space between the objects for any lateral movement.
The pallet should have optimum load stability and for that, you should place the outer face of the film towards the product to be wrapped.
If the pallets are wrapped incorrectly with the outer face of the film away from the pallet, they will become prone to inter-pallet adhesion and loose tails.
Apply a minimum of three complete layers of the film around the base of the pallet before moving upwards.
Stretch the film until there is an obvious resistance but do not overstretch it. Maintain a distance of approximately 300 mm away from the load as you walk around it.
Continue to work upwards with a layer overlap of at least 25%. Wrapping the corners requires care as this is where the maximum stress is placed on the film.
Upon reaching the top of the pallet, secure the load with two complete layers
Upon completing the final layer, cut the film off approximately 30 cm from the corner of the pallet. To finish off, smooth down the film tail by pressing it gently to the pallet. The end of the film should be tied to the corner of the pallet with a simple knot.
How long does it take you to hand stretch wrap a pallet?
Save labour costs with a pallet wrapping machine!
It is not just the unnecessary labour costs of manual wrapping that are costing you money. More importantly, it is the high risk of a back injury which can cost businesses thousands of dollars in workplace injury claims.
Wrapping pallets by hand results in poor postures and repetitive bending movements which can cause your staff to have musculoskeletal injuries. Worksafe Australia highly recommends stretch wrapping pallets with machine to reduce these risks.
Elite Guide Hand Stretch Dispenser
The Elite Glide Hand Stretch Wrap Dispenser is the Perfect Hand Pallet Wrapping Solution to relieve the labour-intensive process of manually hand wrapping pallets. This smart, ergonomic, one-hand operational dispenser has been designed to transform the traditional ways of hand wrapping pallets.
No longer do your floor operators have to strenuously stretch film & uncomfortably bend over to wrap loads. This continuous repetition of movement can take its toll and consequently cause fatigue, serious back pains, muscular injuries & friction burns. There is a better and safer way!
For more information, please visit pallet wrapper with scale.