Pallet Lifting Devices

If you’re like most warehouses or factories, you’re always searching for the most efficient methods and processes to produce maximum results, all while maintaining strict workplace safety standards. When it comes to increasing the efficiency and safety of your warehouse and manufacturing operations, let Sitecraft help with our quality range of pallet handling and lifting equipment. Developed and manufactured with safety first and foremost in mind, we offer an extensive selection of products to meet the specific requirements of a range of workplaces. Discover how we can help you.

Safe Lifting and Manual handling

If safety regulators were asked for one piece of advice about manual handling risk in workplaces they would probably all say: avoid lifting.

The target for reducing this common cause of injury even has its own ergonomic catch phrase – Large, Bulky or Awkward Items (LBAIs) – which makes the point that risk from lifting is not just about “heavy” objects (weighing more than 25 kg).

And if safety regulators were asked for a solution for reducing manual handling risk they would probably all mention “pallet lifters”. These materials handling devices are typical of the technical improvements that are providing more effective and safer options for handling materials. The range of pallet handlers, movers and lifters continues to expand so that there are options to suit many types of workplaces, layouts and processes.

The National Code of Practice for Hazardous Tasks 2016 adopted by most state safety regulators refers to the task of stacking goods onto a pallet as one of the common tasks that puts workers at risk. The document goes on to suggest pallet trucks, lift tables and lift trolleys as examples of mechanical solutions. The Palift is a spring loaded pallet positioner designed to eliminate the bending required when loading or unloading palletised products.

WorkSafe Victoria’s long servicing Code of Practice for Manual Handling from 1999 that is still widely used for its ergonomic advice, gives prominence in the opening pages to pallet lifters as a recommended solution. It also features an image of a high lift pallet truck.

The Victorian regulator has more specific advice in its popular Guide to Handling, Large Bulky or Awkward Items 2012. This guide repeats references to pallet lifters and movers of all types as recommended solutions to many tasks. Hydraulic scissor lift tables are widely used for heavy and repetitive lifting tasks, particularly in manufacturing operations.

Lifting is the first among the main manual handling hazards in the workplace followed by pushing, pulling, holding, throwing and carrying. The risk is more hazardous if the task is repetitive and done over long periods of time. This type of work can result in a risk of a “musculoskeletal” injury. These include a bad back, overuse syndrome, strains to upper body, sprains and strains to legs, abdominal tears (hernias) and chronic pain. These injuries are now known collectively as “body stressing”.