RPN
RPN
Reusable Packaging News
OSHA, Material Handling and Pallet Safety
In terms of OSHA regulations on materials handling, the general industry rule is codified at 29 CFR 1910.176, but that rule (most recently amended in 1978) is quite vague in terms of providing any bright line specifications. In recent cases I have handled in the pallet sector, the inspector’s allegations basically came down to “it didn’t look safe to me” rather than benchmarking work practices against any particular standard. Those types of citations, absent an accident, are often relatively easy to have vacated or reduced to “other than serious.”
Section 1910.176 requires that when mechanical handling equipment is used to move pallet stacks or other materials, sufficient safe clearances must be allowed for aisles, at loading docks, through doorways and wherever turns or passage must be made. Aisles and passageways should be kept clear and in good repair, with no obstructions across them to create a hazard, and permanent aisles should be appropriately marked.
OSHA also specifies in this standard: “Storage of material shall not create a hazard. Bags, containers, bundles, etc., stored in tiers shall be stacked, blocked, interlocked and limited in height so that they are stable and secure against sliding or collapse.” This is a broad obligation that requires an assessment regularly by the employer to ensure that a constantly changing work environment has not had unsafe conditions arise during a workshift. For those who might do work at or deliver to marine terminals, a separate but similar rule is in effect. Standard 1917.14 provides: “Cargo, pallets and other materials stored in tiers shall be stacked in such a manner as to provide stability against sliding and collapse.”
On construction sites, yet another set of standards applies to material storage and handling. Standard 1926.250(a), for example, specifies that “All materials stored in tiers shall be stacked, racked, blocked, interlocked or otherwise secured to prevent sliding, falling, or collapse.” It adds, in an interpretative letter from 2008, that shrink-wrapping or banding the bricks or blocks and stacking the palleted units in a manner that is adequate for flatbed shipping typically would qualify as “otherwise secured to prevent sliding, falling, or collapse.”
OSHA applies these rules to all types of materials, and all types of pallets: wooden, plastic and corrugated cardboard. About 90 percent of the market remains wooden pallets and while there have been attempts in the past to influence governmental agencies in favor of other types, these have not been successful. In the early 2000s, OSHA was urged (first, when developing its ill-fated ergonomics standard, and later when developing ergonomic guidance) to mandate use of plastic pallets but it declined to include such directives. Similarly, an Oregon initiative to require cardboard pallet use was put to study by the state Department of Corrections (DOC) and its 2017 report concluded that this was not feasible for a number of reasons. The non-safety issues included lack of availability for the loads needed (one vendor out of the U.S. was found for the test project), and concerns about inclusion of recycled plastic in the paper pallets, which complicated recycling efforts. Most of these cardboard pallets are single use, with a larger carbon footprint environmentally than their wooden counterparts.
To read more, click here.