Save Order Picking Time & Money with Smart Ergonomic Tools

Warehouse Ergonomic Tips to Boost Order Picking Efficiencies?

Every warehouse and distribution center is concerned with operating costs. Since labor is typically the highest variable expense, keeping a tight rein on labor-intensive order picking and packing is essential. A cost-effective place to start is to consider ergonomics –the right practices and products can support your worker’s order-picking productivity and protect them from budget-busting injuries and downtime.

Taking a warehouse ergonomics approach to worker activity means fitting the task to the worker vs. the worker adjusting themselves to the job. For example…

Ergonomic Warehouse Planning

Design workstations & activities to support a neutral posture – straight neck & back with a naturally supported curve, shoulders straight down, elbows at a right angle, and wrists straight.
Orient the worker to minimize twisting & extended reaching.
Curtail the force exertion for grasping, lifting, pulling, etc., with supportive products and positioning.
Teach safe lifting techniques.
Provide warehouse equipment for lifting, pulling, turning, and carrying activities.

OSHA notes that more than 35% of all missed work is due to back and shoulder injuries resulting from lifting. Direct and indirect costs for just a single injured worker are estimated in the $150,000 range with medical, rehab, productivity loss, replacement trainee costs, morale, etc. When describing a cost-effective operation, that isn’t it.

So, let’s look at products designed to keep your team physically safe and more productive.

Ergonomic Warehouse Products

Picking from Pallet

Pallet flow
Lift tables & work positioners
Pallet rack sliding cart

Full & Split Case Picking

Carton flow & tilt tray
Angled rack shelving
Layback frames
Bin Storage

Packing Station

Adjustable workbenches
Anti-fatigue mats

Ergonomic Order Picking from Pallets

Pallet Flow (Left), Carton Flow (Right)

Full carton picking directly from a pallet is often used for fast-moving inventory. Whether cartons are picked to fulfill individual orders or are part of a mixed pallet order, the bending and lifting from pallets positioned on the floor can cause excess strain and worker injuries.

Additionally, depending on your layout, the worker may have to walk a bit while carrying the carton to a waiting cart, conveyor, or forklift –more time, more strain.

Pallet Flow Rack

Taking an ergonomic approach, you could position the worker at a workstation or within a limited footprint using pallet flow rack. Pallet flow rack uses slightly pitched roller or wheeled track to flow pallets from a loading side to an opposite pick side. It handles multiple pallets in dedicated SKU lanes to ensure there is always inventory ready to pick. Because pallets are loaded from an opposite aisle, conveyors can be added near the workstation for greater productivity.

Industrial Lift Tables & Work Positioners

Standalone or coordinate as part of your pallet flow system –industrial lift tables and work positioner tables raise the bar on ergonomic picking. Lift tables are available in a variety of load capacities and with features that allow workers to easily turn or tilt pallets to reach the back of a pallet or container without excessive stretching.

The tables function using hydraulic, pneumatic, or spring operations. Your work table should allow a range of heights for ergonomically-beneficial positioning.

Pallet Rack Sliding Cart

SKUs with slow turn rates and lower volume are good candidates for a sliding cart solution. Wheeled carts are installed into standard pallet rack, allowing workers to pull pallets out and away from the bay using a pull handle. The workers have easier access to the full pallet and therefore are less likely to injure themselves or potentially drop the item.

Ergonomic Full & Split-Case Picking

Carton Flow Rack & Tilt Tray

Caron flow is the gravity flow equivalent of pallet flow for individual cases or items. When order picking high-volume, medium-turn cases and split-case inventory, carton flow can increase pick speeds and accuracy while reducing labor costs by as much as 50%. Wheeled rails or rollers create a compact pick area within a standard rack bay that holds as many as 40 SKU lanes.

Add a tilt tray to the pick side of your carton flow rack to enable workers to see inventory more clearly and reduce reaching and bending. Inventory automatically flows onto the tilt tray, which can be angled to be most ergonomically beneficial for your workers.

Angled Pick Shelves

If space constraints or inventory volumes don’t support the costlier carton flow rack, you can get a similar benefit in terms of ergonomics with angled shelving. Workers will have a better view of the inventory and will not have to extend their reach as much vs. standard racking. Equip your angled rack with flat steel or wired shelving. Shelves are available in various widths and depths and in stationary or mobile designs.

Bin Storage

This unique high-density storage system installs underneath pallet racking and within easy reach for your workers. The fabric units are suspended and glide with minimal effort from side-to-side revealing multiple layers of orderly SKU storage. Order picking is done to a cart or perhaps a walkie or pallet jack. This highly concentrated pick area increases SKU density by up to 60% vs. standard rack and decreases travel and search-related labor costs by as much as 40%.

Ergonomic Packing Station Enhancements

Adjustable Workbenches

Allow workers to position the height of their workbench to support a neutral posture. An ergonomically positioned workbench also minimizes twisting and extended reaching when packing orders.

Anti-fatigue mats are an important step for reducing back stress for workers standing for long periods.

Streamlined Order Picking is Within Your Reach

With the right product mixture, you will equip your team with the tools to protect them and enable good production. The Apex team is ready to offer full-service support for all your warehousing needs. Our warehouse design specialists can help configure the most efficient layout with the best-suited products to deliver your processing goals. With Apex, one call does it all, connecting you to design experts, automation specialists, experienced project managers, installation crews, and warehouse safety PROs.

Call our team today to get started.