Safety Task Force

This week’s interview discusses risk assessments and food safety with John Costello, President of Cherry’s Industrial Equipment. John explains how their industry has changed in the past 5-10 years, and what he expects, moving forward with things such as automation. We discuss what is involved in completing a risk assessment and when they’re necessary. Tune in to learn more about light curtains, stored energy, pinch points, and more. In the United States, it is still up to the purchaser, not the machine builder, to safely guard the equipment. John mentions that there has been a big push in recent years to get EHS managers involved in the purchases from the start.

During COVID, food safety has become a challenging task. John explains what businesses in packaged foods, bakery, meat processing, and frozen food industries are doing to keep food safe right now. He talks about how these companies are considering closed loop systems to keep their facilities as sanitary as possible and ways to increase productivity with fewer employees and increased social distancing. Listen in to hear about the challenges that John foresees his customers facing in the next 5-10 years with automation and robotics, labor shortages, and more. To conclude the interview, we discuss the different ways that Cherry’s Industrial Equipment is adapting to meet their customers' future demands.

This week, Josh Smith, President at Wholesale Pallet Rack Products (WPRP), joins me to discuss how he has successfully created a safer work environment for his employees and customers throughout the past 6-8 months of the pandemic. Josh discusses changes that they’ve made to the office environment and the warehouse. A particular item we discuss is the BeastWire Mesh Driver’s Cage that he has installed in their warehouse. This has allowed them to increase their security measures and keep people from wandering through their facility. Listen to the interview to learn how everything is working out for WPRP and what feedback Josh has received from employees. One of the biggest difficulties through all of this has been creating a safe environment that could remain open 100% of the time. When will you know if what you’re doing for your organization is safe enough for your employees to feel comfortable at work again?

Jim Galante, Director of Business Development at Southworth Products Corp, joined us this week to discuss ergonomics best practices and what we’re not always considering. Jim explains why ergonomics are important and different factors that affect businesses. He also shares recent trends and ways companies can improve ergonomic safety within their warehouse. Listen in to hear what Jim has to say about automation and the opportunities it presents for ergonomics in the workplace.

This week I was joined by Arlin Keck, Corporate R&D Engineer of Steel King Industries. Arlin has been around the material handling industry for over 40 years, and with Steel King for 15. In this episode, he discusses safety factors that should be considered when designing a rack system. Arlin explains how frequently rack should be inspected and who should preform those inspections. We also discuss the common areas in a rack system that are considered high risk and what factors effect system capacity.

This week Aaron Conway, of Mezzanine Safeti-Gates, joined me to discuss solutions for keeping employees safe while working on elevated platforms. We discuss how mezzanine safety gates secure the ledges of elevated work platforms including pallet drop areas, rack picking systems, production platforms, loading docks and dock lifts in material handling, distribution centers and manufacturing facilities. Aaron explains the different OSHA and ANSI standards and how to remain in compliance. We also discuss how adding safety products doesn’t always impede productivity, but that it can help.

To learn more about mezzanine safety, check out Episode 4: Elevated Platform Safety and Regulations with John Sloan.

In this week’s episode, Zach Green, Founder and CEO of LumAware Inc., joined me to discuss safety solutions for warehouses utilizing photoluminescence technology. Zach begins by explaining his background as a volunteer firefighter and how LumAware came about. He explains how firefighters have benefitted and continue to benefit from photoluminescence technology but goes even further to explain why warehouses need to consider it as well. LumAware’s EXIT signs and egress products are the perfect solution for when warehouses experience power outages and their backup systems fail. Listen to Episode 8 to learn how Zach recommends a business begin the process of switching over, and all the benefits involved in doing so.

Jeff Smagacz, Ergonomics Practice Leader from Marsh, joined me to talk about the shift in the workplace we’ve all experienced over the last few months. He explains what employers and employees should be concerned about many people are now working from home and how to adjust to the current situation we find ourselves in. He provides great tips to make it through the day and how to set ourselves up for success no matter where we’re working. We discuss how to stay aware, stay engaged, and stay in charge of our workspace. As a lot of business are beginning to bring employees back to the office, we discuss how communication is key. This is an episode you don’t want to miss!

This week I had the pleasure of speaking with Greg Doppler, President of Cornerstone Specialty Wood Products, out of Cincinnati, Ohio. Greg joined me to discuss flooring solutions for mezzanine surfaces and offered his advice for things to consider when choosing a flooring surface for your next elevated platform. He shares the shocking differences between walking on concrete, bar grate, and their very own, ResinDek®. Tune in to Episode 6 to learn more about the ergonomic, economic, and environmental impact your flooring choice can have on your business.

To kick off National Safety Month, I was joined by Health and Safety Consultant, Paul Serafini, of Sotera Consulting. Paul explains why safety compliance is so important and ways that we can stay up to date with regulations. We talk about the risks involved when businesses fail to comply and what you can do to ensure you are creating a culture where safety is looked at with positivity. To follow Paul’s safety blog, visit soteraconsulting.com and stay up to date with safety topics, OSHA regulations and more.

We're back for another episode of Safety Task Force, and this week, I am joined by John Sloan, from Legacy Platform, LLC. John discusses different safety solutions and regulations for elevated platforms. We go over key factors to consider when adding a platform to your building, and ways to ensure your platform will meet the required codes and regulations. Learn things to consider when adding a platform to your facility and what questions to ask to make the right decisions.