Safety in the workplace is an increasingly topical issue, especially now when we are going through this difficult period caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anyone working in logistics knows that employees’ health comes before everything else.
An injury in the workplace or musculoskeletal disorders linked to work activities are common problems for companies which often find themselves facing significant costs, in both monetary and legal terms.
With this in mind, it becomes clear that taking any risks simply isn’t worth it and it is always more cost-effective (as well as right and proper) to invest in comfort and safety.
Occupational Health & Safety Regulations
The Italian government and the European Union as a whole, recognizes how important it is to prevent occupational musculoskeletal disorders.
In 2006, Legislative Decree No. 187 of 19 August 2005 came into force, which implemented Directive 2002/44/EC on the minimum health and safety requirements regarding the exposure of workers to the risks arising from physical agents (vibration).
The Decree establishes the exposure limit value and the employer’s obligation to:
- carry out specific risk assessment for mechanical vibrations affecting the whole body in order to reduce them;
- promote actions to improve equipment already owned and in use;
- purchase new equipment in compliance with the requirements mentioned in the standards.
Art. 3 of the Decree sets out the exposure limit values and action values.
For whole-body vibration:
- the daily exposure limit value standardised to an eight-hour reference period is set at 1.15 m/s²;
- the daily exposure action value standardised to an eight-hour reference period is set at 0.50 m/s².
With the commencement of Legislative Decree No. 81 of 9 April 2008, Italy further lowered the daily exposure limit value, standardised to an eight-hour reference period, to 1.00 m/s² (art. 201).
Workers’ Health & Safety before all else
If you work in the logistics sector, you are very aware that the operations carried out by your employees are strenuous activities that, over time, can cause very serious disorders.
Every day, staff are subjected to hard work that certainly does not benefit the health of the musculoskeletal system. These disorders are caused by multiple factors that involve constantly prolonged exertion:
- handling loads (especially when turning or bending the back);
- repetitive movements;
- assuming poor or prolonged static postures;
- vibrations;
- working in cold or humid environments.
Prevention is better than cure!
Musculoskeletal disorders are a problem affecting workers in many sectors, especially logistics.
At this point all that remains to be asked is what can be done? How can these risks be prevented?
First of all, it is important that your company puts the needs of your employees first. Staff involvement is essential: opening a dialogue with those who are personally exposed to these risks can help you prevent them.
Secondly, prevention also means research: it is important to provide adequate spaces and ergonomic equipment, specifically designed to be functional and comfortable for the operator who uses them.
The comfort and safety of special forklift trucks
With this in mind, the world of forklift trucks offers valid solutions to prevent these risks. In recent years, high-performance and safe machines have been designed and developed, capable of responding to the physical needs of operators.
MONTINI, a company with over 50 years of specialization, manufactures special forklifts designed to optimize warehouse logistics. The company has always been attentive to national and international regulations on forklift safety.
MONTINI has patented a hydropneumatic suspension system for its forklifts, the CSM (Comfort Security Montini) system. Thanks to this system it is possible to increase lateral stability and operator safety and significantly reduce jolts and vibrations, ensuring a level of comfort that has never been reached before.
A standard MONTINI forklift, without the CSM system, was subjected to a work test on an average quality industrial yard and the test recorded a standardized value over an 8-hour period of 0.45 m/s².
The same forklift fitted with the CSM system, working in the same yard, recorded a standardized value of 0.36 m/s².
This test illustrates how the MONTINI forklift fitted with the CSM system reduces the standardized value recorded over an 8-hour period by 20%.
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