Online shopping boom requires space and safety

Midland Pallet Trucks, a provider of high-quality lifting equipment including pallet trucks, manual stacker trucks and lift tables, is urging retailers and warehousing managers to remember the role of workplace safety as the online shopping boom continues into 2021.

A recent study has estimated that an additional 775,000 square feet of warehousing space is required to service each extra £1 billion spent online by UK shoppers. With warehousing space already stretched to beyond capacity, accidents and injury rates are predicted to rise this year as warehouse employees work harder than ever to meet tough productivity targets.

2020 saw a 37% increase in online shopping, over six times that of 2019 showing the extent to which the warehousing sector has been required to step up to support the unprecedented number of consignments and customer orders placed during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Brexit also continues to impact the sector with many businesses stockpiling certain goods in order to reduce the amount of red tape associated with crossing EU borders, with no signs of this behaviour slowing down any time soon.

More brown space has been bought with the intention of creating more warehousing space to help keep up with demand, but many have warned that the figures for new units are a drop in the ocean compared to the amount of warehousing space is actually required to serve the needs of retailers and the public.

According to RIDDOR reported injuries for the 2019 period, more than 20% of all injuries during this period were caused by handling, lifting or carrying and accounted for a total of 118,00 injuries to staff, therefore Midland Pallet Trucks wants the industry to focus on safety as well as space availability as the online shopping boom continues.

Phil Chesworth, Managing Director of Midland Pallet Trucks said, “Safety should be paramount for any warehouse, but with more and more pressure heaped upon those that are already working at full capacity to keep up with demand, many retailers and managers are distracted by a search for more warehousing space rather than the safety of their current operations.

“By offering high-quality lift equipment from our centrally located warehouse, we can help address any equipment shortfalls quickly and help warehouses stay on top of their targets without putting staff at risk.″

To find out more about the wide range of materials handling products available for delivery from Midland Pallet Trucks, visit https://www.midlandpallettrucks.com/