One of the challenges that many business leaders face with their supply of wood pallets is proper organization!
It’s important for every business leader to confirm that their employees understand how to properly stack wood pallets, and many times this means that forklift training and stacking guides are needed to increase workplace safety and avoid accidents at commercial facilities of all types.
The three most important outcomes associated with proper pallet stacking are safety, improving productivity and cutting down on overhead costs. Everyone needs to prevent accidents, and advanced storing strategies make things easier for warehouse workers to get daily tasks done much faster.
Below we’ll be going over 5 important tips oriented around properly stacking wood pallets, which can help you and your company in a whole variety of ways!
How To Properly Stack Wood Pallets
The first thing you should keep in mind is doing your best to stack pallets of the same size together, and this is because the equal dimensions will make it a lot easier to obtain an even weight distribution. This safety precaution also reduces the overall risk of experiencing falling or shifting pallets.
When you’re stacking pallets of different sizes, you should also make sure that the larger pallets are on the bottom. This technique also applies to how you should place products on your pallets during shipments. When you’re using double-stacked pallets, be sure to utilize professional lifting aids to make things safer.
Below are five more pallet stacking tips that you and your business team should keep in mind!
1. Never Exceed Height Limitations
The first rule of thumb oriented around wood pallet stacking is to simply make sure that you don’t stack your pallet supply too high. When you go too high with your pallet stacks, you’ll exponentially increase the overall likelihood of pallets falling over. This subsequently increases the risks of workplace injuries that are always best to be avoided at all costs!
This is why it’s very important to thoroughly understand the amount of space you have on your middle and lower racks. Once you know this vital information, you should then be sure to not stack pallets too high on the top rack.
When you over-stack your pallet racks, you can run the risks of pallet and product damages when you’re in the process of loading/unloading stored pallets.
2. Don’t Exceed Your Pallet Jack Or Forklift’s Weight Limitations
When businesses are in the process of stacking their pallet supply, they’ll often require the use of heavy items. This is why business leaders must always ensure that their pallet jack and forklift operators understand maximum weight capacities, and will recognize warning signs when they’re pushing weight limitations.
When a forklift picks up an amount of weight that is too large for its design specifications, it can end up developing an incredibly serious safety hazard. It’s certainly not impossible for forklifts to topple over, and this scenario can always run the risk of injuring workers and instigating expensive property damages.
3. Always Make Sure The Heaviest Items Are On The Bottom
This is a well-known safety technique that every business must incorporate on a daily basis, and this equally pertains to product shipments just as much as pallet stacking. So you’ll always want to remember to put your heaviest items on the bottom of a pallet, and always put your heaviest pallets at the bottom of a stack.
Creating a stable base is incredibly important when attempting to stack pallets, and this is mainly because you’ll want a lower center of gravity.
4. Evenly Stack Your Wood Pallets
Warehouse safety precautions will require business teams to evenly stack their pallet supply. This means being pretty particular about the edges and sides of pallets not poking out. No one wants to increase the overall chances of a pallet stack falling, which is why weight distribution is so important.
Any objects that are sticking out from the edges of a pallet stack can also potentially present safety issues that are best to be avoided. It’s also important for warehouse teams to be on the lookout for any loose parts that could potentially get snagged by a worker or machine while loading/unloading.
5. Always Get Your Damaged Pallets Repaired Prior To Reuse
It can sometimes be tempting for business leaders to re-use their damaged pallets to save some overhead costs here and there, but this is a very serious risk that should always be avoided.
Damaged pallets simply aren’t durable or stable like new pallets are, and this can end up leading to pallet stacks tipping over. Even things like protruding nails and splintered areas can run the risk of injuring workers. That’s why you should do the right thing when you’re in doubt and invest in replacement pallets as opposed to utilizing damaged pallets.
Reach Out To The Pallet Guys To Learn More About How We Can Help Keep Your Wood Pallets And Business Facility As Safe As Possible!
The Pallet Guys have worked with countless businesses over the years, so we know how to make sure that our clients are being safe with our products.
Contact us online or call us at 832-895-7555 to get in touch with our pallet industry specialists today and learn more about how we can support the safety efforts at your facility!
