Man versus machine: who is responsible for safety in the warehouse? 人与机器：谁负责仓库安全？  仓库中的主要安全问题是什么？后勤人员如何管理它们？玛丽亚高地调查。 在仓库内，首要关注的是保护人员免受潜在的事故，伤害和死亡。许多不同的因素可以促进仓库的安全。这可能包括人员，机器和产品在一个地区周围的移动。因此，创建安全仓库并不一定是单一的解决方案。 “仓库可能是一个危险的环境，因为它通常是安置​​货架，”ELOKON的总经理Alex Glasmacher说。“这里有各种不同的移动设备，例如叉车，订单捡拾器，托盘车和自动导向车等不同的速度。”因此，任何“人员和机器靠近工作的情况都会带来特殊的风险”，Glasmacher总结道。 。 自动化订单拣选，自动导引车（AGV）叉车和机器人在周围嗡嗡作响，现代仓库现在比以往更先进。“我们部门的技术以惊人的速度前进，”FLTA首席执行官Peter Harvey MBE表示。“近几年来，随着越来越多的大型公司选择用自动化替代品替代叉车，我们看到自动化获得了很大的推动力。”  因此，随着新技术出现新的安全措施。健康与安全执行部门（HSE）运输部门负责人Simon Clarke解释说：“新技术和行业流程的一般变化既会带来新的风险，也会消除或减少旧的风险，”这些变化应该通过适当和充分的评估来解决创造它们的风险以及通过采取适当的控制措施来实现。“  对自动化未来的主要担忧不是机器错误，而是人为错误之一。自动化提供许多好处，例如降低工资成本，优化空间利用率，提高运营效率并且​​不需要培训成本。然而，正如哈维所说，最大的好处就是它对现场安全的影响：“近年来，尽管传统材料处理设备的安全性已经取得了长足的进步，但大多数事故（以及由此导致的 - 通常是改变生命的 - 伤害）并不是因为技术故障 - 而是人为错误。“  关于保护仓库人员的最大忧虑归结于人员与物料处理设备之间的相互作用。食品储藏与分销联合会首席执行官Chris Sturman说。“仓库安全是一系列因素的综合体，管理物料搬运和运输是核心 - 管理。另一个主要是存储媒体; 它的容量，设计规格和使用，“斯特曼说。 他举例说明了人员和物料搬运设备互动会影响仓库安全的各种场所和情景：卸载车辆，将整个托盘转移到货架系统，采摘和订货组装，交叉对接和卸货。Sturman解释说：“人类和叉车以及其他物料搬运设备必须尽可能小心地控制和隔离”，以确保最佳的工人安全。他还强调正确的安全训练。 FLTA也同意保护仓库人员可归因于许多因素。哈维总结说：“安全作业依靠四个因素：安全作业人员，安全管理人员，安全卡车和安全场地。”他补充说，尽管“许多雇主都意识到安全作业人员，工地和卡车的重要性，但许多公司低估了要求的要求从'安全经理'，“注意到通过配备”管理人员和主管积极地发现和应对不良运营商（和同事）的习惯，公司可以防止自满的风险。“  例如，如果操作人员和工作人员没有警惕并意识到相关的危险，叉车可能会对工作场所造成极大危险。“每个工作日，英国的五名工人在涉及叉车的事故中受到严重伤害，”哈维说。他补充说，尽管工人接受了操作叉车的培训，但很少有公司“认识到让同事徒步意识到风险的重要性，以及他们如何能够适当应对威胁。”  Combilift总经理Martin McVicar概述了主要安全仓库环境中的问题是叉车作业的速度以及司机/操作员对周围环境的可见性和意识。他解释说，如果在负载和环境允许的情况下使用行人卡车，可以克服这些问题。“他们的工作速度较慢，与使用机动卡车时相比，使用这些设备时操作人员更注重环境，”McVicar解释说。 McVicar指出，“使用任何叉车（走路或骑行）时，货物，货叉和周围环境的畅通无阻的可视性对于降低操作员与货架，障碍物或附近人员相撞的风险至关重要。”然后，对于“站在或骑在模型上，驾驶员无盲点的最大可见度对于预防事故至关重要，“他说。 Combilift推荐在长时间运载时使用多向卡车，因为“这比其他类型的卡车本质上更安全 - 不需要倒车 - 总是比向前行驶更危险的操纵 - 并且货物可以停靠在平台上而不需要它们McVicar说：“在狭小的空间进行谈判时，将其抬高到障碍物的上方（这本质上是危险的，同时限制了能见度）。 “使用非常容易操纵的叉车还可降低货架损坏的风险，这可能会削弱结构的完整性并导致坍塌，从而造成危险的工作环境和潜在的人员伤害。”McVicar总结道。 Glasmacher对此表示赞同，指出叉车，驾驶员行为和问责制的结合，以及对周围环境的认识是实现仓库安全的关键因素。他建议，通过使用“最新的RFID，雷达和智能激光传感器技术”可以解决这些问题。Glasmacher说：“这可以用来开发所谓的虚拟”监护天使“，以驾驶员辅助，近距离探测和距离预警系统，以及移动人员保护和速度控制装置的形式。他还补充道，这种创新“可以减少人为错误的发生，促进更好，更负责任的驾驶行为”  .Glasmacher提供了几个例子，说明如何确保叉车在仓库环境中不是安全问题。他建议使用车队管理系统，因为他们可以“确保在发动机启动前安全启动”。他还建议使用RFID芯片“识别驾驶员防止未经授权或未经培训的人员使用不当以及电子安全检查清单证实实际上已经进行了操作前检查。“  ”叉车上的辅助系统是更多的选择，“Glasmacher继续说道。他解释说，他们可以用来在遇到任何潜在危急情况之前提醒驾驶员，甚至可以控制驾驶，转向或信号功能。“使用高频技术还可以让他们监控特定的指定危险区域或围绕车辆和人员定义的范围，”Glasmacher说。 Glasmacher强调了仓库另一个值得关注的领域：从户外运营到室内运营。“外部的驾驶速度往往更高，并且必须在室内减少。Glasmacher说，与其依赖驾驶员遵守规定，雷达系统可以在卡车过渡到内部时自动降低速度，然后在相反方向颠倒过程。 货架 叉车不是仓库内唯一的问题。在确保仓库安全时，货架也是一个主要因素。Sturman说，坚持正确的货架设计和规格对于确保仓库安全至关重要。这确保了任何给定的系统都在其设计规范中使用，并且适合于其目的。 Sturman说：“超载货架，与因不小心使用金属搬运设备而造成的损坏联系在一起，造成了一些令人震惊的失败。他补充说，这可能导致产品损失数百万英镑，但更重要的是，可能会导致工作场所受伤和伤亡。 “确保最初的设备，车辆和建筑规范是最新的，并了解该系统将用于何种用途的需求至关重要。安装完成后，需要向操作人员提供正确的标签和建议，以确保他们知道安全和超载之间的临界点，这一点至关重要，“Sturman说。因此，培训是当务之急，以确保员工获得正确的技能和能力，并能正确使用设备。 SEMA技术委员会的Alan Worrell认为存在一些安全问题，而“技巧是从症状中分解原因”。除了“人员与机械搬运设备之间的冲突 - 尤其是在装载/编组区域”，他突出强调了这些症状是机架损坏 。Worrell表示，影响仓库安全的主要因素是修改系统以用于它不是用来做，不好的训练以及最后的冲动，即兴创作和走捷径的行为。他解释说，这是一个阴险的问题，“捷径成为惯例; 进一步的捷径可能会被提出来，直到最终，某种问题变得不可避免。“  Worrell说，避免这种行为带来的任何安全隐患的解决方案在于正确的安装设计，坚持正确的系统设计变更以及在一个系统的限制范围内工作以避免负担过重。Worrell说，良好的培训也是这种情况下的关键，因为“事故和危险事件往往是由人为因素造成的”。 SEMA将货架坍塌作为仓库中最大的安全问题，因为它会严重伤害仓库人员或导致死亡。然而，SEMA承认，还有其他因素有助于实现仓库安全，“当货架崩溃肯定是最严重，负责任的FLT驾驶，一个防火的工作环境和其他行业最佳实践必须通过一个强大的结构化政策“，SEMA表示。 SEMA解释说：“如果存在安全文化，并且存在正确的检查，维护和维修协议，那么货架坍塌和随后的起诉很容易避免。” “雇主的法定职责是确保其员工有一个安全的工作场所而不会对生命或财产构成风险，并且雇主必须始终能够证明他们拥有安全的工作系统。”  SEMA表示，这是通过任命一名负责货架安全的人员（PRRS）来弥补的。该人员将负责“维护仓库存储系统的安全运行，维护机架检查和维护记录”  。SEMA发言人Dagan Hyde通过强调机架损坏是仓库内最大的担忧之一进一步支持这一点，并指出机架必须为应用而设计。同样，他指出，卡车和机架接口以及驾驶员能力是涉及仓库安全的主要问题。当涉及仓库安全时，这给出了多个因素的概念。海德解决了这个问题可以通过“寻求专家建议从一开始就实现正确的设计”而轻易避免。 哈维支持这一观点，指出虽然安全设备可以帮助提高安全和生产力，“高质量的安全培训为您的操作员提供安全和高效工作所必需的必要技能，意识和良好实践”。 哈维并不孤单。他说，“所有可用的指导都明确表示这是一种广泛分享的观点。与风险评估后可能或可能需要的安全设备不同，适当的培训是法律规定。“  Worrell也同意安全培训比设备更重要。他解释说，使用安全设备“只有在使工作变得轻松时才有用，如果安全设备使工作更加困难或耗费更多时间，那么人的因素就会发挥作用，因为人们会找到一种方法来解决设备问题。安全的方式应该是简单的方法。“  除了安全设备和培训外，另一个建议是转向自动化，因为它可以帮助将人为因素排除在外。SEMA发言人海德强调了可以采取的其他措施，以确保仓库安全，包括自动化，培训和卡车人员分离区。 自动化是行业内现有的趋势，并且是持续增长的趋势。但是，自动化是确保仓库安全的前进方向吗？ Hyde说：“自动化是事态发展的方式，并且会提高安全性，但是，正如我们最近看到的自动驾驶汽车一样，这项技术还处于初级阶段。” “自动化可以非常安全和高效，但用户需要了解灵活性的潜在限制，”他补充道。 Sturman详细阐述了这一点，他解释道：“自动化可以在降低受伤风险方面扮演重要角色，只需将人员带走并离开操作环境即可。”他补充道，自动化系统可以帮助降低处理和存储成本，并最大限度地减少受伤的机会。 “但即便如此，”Sturman说，“即使您使用自动车辆装载和卸载系统和输送机，这些接口也是如此。仍然有些时候需要特殊的人员进入受限空间，并且这些情况还必须通过书面风险评估和手册以及培训证据来计划。“  因此，正如Worrell强调的那样，自动化可能不是”万灵丹，但正确应用它是成本效益，并提供安全的结果。与任何系统一样，虽然可以避免额外的安全问题。“海德对自动驾驶汽车和自动化处于婴幼儿时代的评论很像，机器人技术也是如此。随着自动化作为仓库解决方案的发展，机器人技术的发展也带来了自身的安全挑战。Hyde说，使用机器人技术带来了机遇和挑战，并指出要考虑的一些关键点包括灵活性，维护，寿命以及机器人人员界面的问题。 本文首次出现在物流经理，2018年5月  What are the main safety concerns in the warehouse and how can logisticians manage them? Maria Highland investigates. Within the warehouse the number one concern is to protect personnel from potential accidents, injuries and fatalities. A number of different factors can contribute towards safety in the warehouse. This can include the movement of people, machinery and products around one area. Therefore, there is not necessarily a singular solution to creating a safe warehouse. “The warehouse can be a hazardous environment as it typically houses racking,” says ELOKON’s managing director, Alex Glasmacher. “And here are various and often many pieces of mobile equipment such as forklift trucks, order pickers, pallet trucks and AGVs travelling at differing speeds.” Therefore, any “situation where personnel and machines work in close proximity poses particular risks,” summarises Glasmacher. The modern warehouse is now more advanced than ever with automated order picking, Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) forklift trucks and robots whizzing around. “Technology in our sector moves forward at an astonishing speed,” says FLTA chief executive Peter Harvey MBE. “In recent years, we’ve seen automation gain a lot of traction as more and more large companies choose to replace their fork lifts with automated alternatives.” Consequently, with new technology come new safety measures. Simon Clarke, head of transport sector, Health and Safety Executive (HSE) explains that “new technologies and general changes in industry processes both create new risks and eliminate or reduce old risks,” and these changes should “be addressed through suitable and sufficient assessment of risks by those that create them and through the adoption of appropriate controls.” The main concern with an automated future is not one of machine error, but one of human error. Automation provides many benefits, such as reduced wage bills, optimal space utilisation, operational efficiency and no training costs. However, as outlined by Harvey, the biggest benefit is its effect on site safety: “While great strides have been made to make conventional materials handling equipment safer in recent years, the majority of accidents (and resulting – often life-changing – injuries) aren’t due to technological failure – but human error.” The greatest concern when it comes to protecting personnel in the warehouse comes down to the interaction between people and materials handling equipment says Food Storage and Distribution Federation chief executive Chris Sturman. “Warehouse safety is a combination of a range of factors, with management of materials handling and movement being in the centre – the core. The other main one is the storage media; it’s capacity, design specification and use,” states Sturman. He exemplifies the various locations and scenarios where human and materials handling equipment interaction can impact warehouse safety: off-loading vehicles, the transfer of full pallets into racking systems, picking and order assembly, cross docking and out-loading. Sturman explains that “human beings and forklift trucks and other material handling equipment have to be carefully controlled and segregated as far as is reasonably possible” to ensure optimal worker safety. He also places emphasis on correct safety training. The FLTA also agrees that protecting warehouse personnel can be attributed to a number of factors. Harvey summarises that “safe operations rely on four factors: safe operators, safe managers, safe trucks and safe sites.” He adds that although “many employers are aware of the importance of safe operators, sites and trucks, many companies underestimate what is demanded from a ‘safe manager’,” noting that by equipping “managers and supervisors to be proactive in spotting and responding to poor operator (and colleague) habits, companies can prevent the risk of complacency setting in”. For example, fork lift trucks can pose a great danger to a work place if the operator and workers are not vigilant and aware of the associated dangers. “Every working day, five workers in the UK are seriously injured in accidents involving lift trucks,” says Harvey. He adds that despite workers being trained to operate the forklifts, few companies “consider the importance of making colleagues on foot aware of the risks, as well as how they can respond appropriately to threats.” Combilift managing director Martin McVicar, outlines the main safety issues in a warehouse environment being the speed of forklift operations as well as driver/operator visibility and awareness of surroundings. He explains that such issues can be overcome by looking to use pedestrian trucks when load and circumstances allow it. “They work at slower speeds and operators are more aware of the environment when using these, compared to when they are in a cab of a motorised truck,” explains McVicar. McVicar notes that when “using any forklifts (walk behind or ride on), unimpeded visibility of the loads, the forks and the surroundings is vital to reduce the risks of operators colliding with racking, obstacles or people in the vicinity.” Then for “stand on or ride on models, maximum visibility for the driver with no blind spots is crucial to prevent accidents,” he says. Combilift recommend using multidirectional trucks when carrying long loads as this “is inherently safer than other types of trucks – there is less need for reversing – always a riskier manoeuvre than driving forwards – and loads can rest on the platform with no need for them to be lifted above obstacles (which is inherently dangerous as well as limiting visibility) when negotiating tight spaces,” says McVicar. “Using forklifts that are very easy to manoeuvre also reduces the risks of damage to racking which can weaken the structural integrity and lead to collapses, which makes for a hazardous working environment and potential injury to personnel,” concludes McVicar. Glasmacher agrees, noting that the combination of forklifts, driver behaviour and accountability, alongside an awareness of the surrounding environment are key contributors towards warehouse safety. He suggests that such issues can be solved by the use of the “latest RFID, radar and intelligent laser-based sensor technology”. This “can be used to develop so called virtual “guardian angels” in the form of driver assistance, proximity detection and distance warning systems, as well as mobile personnel protection and speed control devices,” says Glasmacher. He also adds that such innovations “reduce the instances of human error, promote better and more accountable driving behaviour.” Glasmacher provides a few examples of how to ensure that fork lift trucks are not a safety concern in a warehouse environment. He recommends the use of fleet management systems as they can “ensure that safety starts before the engine has been switched on.” He also recommends the use of RFID chips “to identify drivers prevents improper use from unauthorised or untrained personnel, and electronic safety check lists verify that pre-operational inspection has in fact been carried out.” “Assistance systems on forklifts are further options,” continues Glasmacher. He explains that they can be used to alert the driver before encountering any potentially critical situations, or even take control of the drive, steering or signalling functions. “The use of high frequency technology also allows them to monitor specific designated hazardous zones or a defined radius around vehicles and personnel,” says Glasmacher. Glasmacher highlights another area of concern for warehouses: the transition from outdoor to indoor operation. “Driving speeds tend to be higher outside and have to be reduced indoors. Rather than relying on drivers to comply, radar-based systems can automatically lower the speed when a truck transitions inside and then reverse the procedure in the opposite direction,” says Glasmacher. Racking Forklift trucks are not the only concern within a warehouse. Racking is also a major factor when it comes to ensuring the warehouse is safe. Adhering to the correct design and specification of racking is crucial to ensure warehouse safety says Sturman. This ensures that any given system is being used within its design specification and is fit for its purpose. “Overloading racking, allied to damage caused by careless use of metal handling equipment has contributed to some spectacular failures,” says Sturman. He adds that this can cause product damage worth millions of pounds but, more importantly, can cause workplace injuries and casualties. “The need to ensure that initial equipment, vehicle and building specification is current and to appreciate the use to which the system will be used, is critical. Once installed, the need to provide the correct labelling and advice to operatives to ensure they know the tipping point between safe and overload is crucial,” says Sturman. Therefore, training is then the next priority to ensure that staff acquire the right skills and competencies and can use equipment properly. Alan Worrell of SEMA’s technical committee believes that there are a few safety issues, and that the “trick is splitting the symptoms from the causes”. He highlights these symptoms to be rack damage, alongside the “conflict between people and mechanical handling equipment – particularly in the loading/marshalling area.” Worrell expresses that the main factors affecting warehouse safety are the modification of a system for it to be used for something it was not designed to do, poor training and finally the act of rushing, improvising and taking shortcuts. He explains that this is an insidious problem and that “the short-cut becomes the established practice; further short-cuts might then be then made until, eventually, some sort of problem becomes inevitable.” Worrell says that the solution to avoiding any safety hazards that come from such behaviours lies with correct installation design, adhering to the correct design changes to systems as well as working within the limitations of a system to not overburden it. Good training is also key in such scenarios as “accidents and dangerous occurrences are often due to human factors,” says Worrell. SEMA places racking collapse as the biggest safety concern in the warehouse as it can seriously injure warehouse personnel or cause fatalities. However, SEMA acknowledges that there are other factors that contribute towards warehouse safety and “while racking collapse has surely got to be the most serious, responsible FLT driving, a fire-safe working environment and other industry best practices must be adopted in a robust and structured policy,” says SEMA. “Racking collapse and subsequent potential prosecution are simple to avoid where there is a safety culture and that correct protocols for inspection, maintenance and repair exist,” explains SEMA. “It is the statutory duty of an employer to ensure that their staff have a safe place of work without risk to life or property and the employer must always be able to demonstrate that they have a safe system of work”. SEMA say that this is remedied by having a Person Responsible for Racking Safety (PRRS) appointed. This person would be responsible for “maintaining safe operation of the warehouse storage system, maintain rack inspection and maintenance records.” SEMA spokesman, Dagan Hyde supports this further by highlighting rack damage as one of the biggest concerns within a warehouse, noting that the rack must be designed for application. Likewise, he notes that truck and rack interface alongside driver competence are major issues when it comes to warehouse safety. This gives notion to multiple factors at play when it comes to warehouse safety. Hyde resolves that the issue can be easily avoided by “seeking expert advice to achieve the correct design from the outset”. Harvey supports this view, noting that although safety equipment can help to enhance safety and productivity, “high-quality safety training provides your operators with the necessary skills, awareness and good practice necessary to work safely and productively”. Harvey isn’t alone in this belief. He says that “all available guidance makes it very clear that this is a view widely shared. Unlike safety equipment which may or may be necessary following a risk assessment, adequate training is a legal requirement.” Worrell also agrees that safety training is more important than equipment. He explains that the use of safety equipment “can help but only if it makes the job easier; if the safety equipment makes the job harder, or more time consuming, then the human factor comes into play as people will find a way around the equipment. The safe way should be the easy way.” Alongside safety equipment and training, another recommendation is a switch toward automation as it can help to take the human factor out of the equation. SEMA spokesman, Hyde highlights alternative measures that can be taken to ensure warehouse safety to include automation, training and truck- personnel separation zones. Automation is an existing trend within the industry and is one that continues to grow. But, is automation the way forward to ensure warehouse safety? “Automation is the way things are developing, and will improve safety, however, as we have seen recently with autonomous cars, the technology is still in its infancy,” says Hyde. “Automation can be very safe and efficient, but users need to be aware of the potential limitations of flexibility,” he adds. Sturman elaborates on this, explaining “automation can play a major part in reducing risk of injury, simply by taking the people away and out of the operational environment.” He adds that automated systems can help reduce handling and storage costs as well as minimising the opportunity for injuries. “But even so,” says Sturman, “these have interfaces too, even if you are using automatic vehicle loading and off-loading systems and conveyors. There will still be occasions when people are needed on an exceptional basis to go inside the envelope and these circumstances must also be planned for with written risk assessments and manuals and evidence of training.” Therefore, as highlighted by Worrell, automation may not be “a panacea but applied correctly it is cost effective and gives safe results. As with any system though the additional safety can be circumvented.” Much like Hyde’s comment about autonomous cars and automation being in an age of infancy, the same can be said for robotics. The growth of robotics alongside automation as a warehouse solution also comes with its own set of safety challenges. The use of robotics offer opportunity and challenges, says Hyde, noting that some key point to consider include flexibility, maintenance, life span and issues surrounding robot-personnel interfaces. This article first appeared in Logistics Manager, May 2018