Stockpiling a risky business for pre-Brexit warehousing, says Midland Pallet Trucks
With pre-Brexit stockpiling leading the current warehousing and logistics boom in the UK, Midland Pallet Trucks, a provider of high-quality materials handling equipment for the warehousing industry including pallet trucks, manual stacker trucks and lift tables, is warning warehouse managers about the potential risks of this widespread practice.
With Britain gearing up to leave the EU on the 29th of March 2019, many businesses have begun to stockpile consumer goods that might become difficult to get hold of once this date passes and the UK officially leaves the European Union.
This stockpiling craze has been triggered by various predictions that goods households rely on each week will be difficult to source after the end of March. Many companies have been upping their order quantities in response to a wave of panic buying bought on by UK customers concerned about the availability of certain items.
Although this increase in demand is good news overall for the warehousing sector, the outcome of Brexit remains to be fully realised and could leave many warehouses filled to the brim with consumer products that are surplus to requirements should trade with other countries continue without any problems.
Phil Chesworth, Managing Director of Midland Pallet Trucks has warned that there is potential not only for excess stock, but risks to the health and wellbeing of employees tasked with dealing with storage and supply chain logistics.
With such a heightened demand, workers in this sector are at risk of common workplace injuries caused by lifting heavy items without the appropriate lifting equipment.
Last year, a report from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), statistics showed that over half a million UK workers suffered from work-related musculoskeletal disorders in 2017-2018, with over 40% of these injuries affecting the back. This led to 6.6 million lost days at work, costing the UK economy millions of pounds in lost productivity.
In order to safeguard employee wellbeing and reduce the number of days lost due to similar injuries, Midland Pallet Trucks is advising employers to consider their current materials handling and lifting equipment availability including hand pallet trucks, manual stacker trucks and lift tables. It may be that a greater store of equipment is required to cope with the increased demand and greater quantity of goods and pallets being dealt with.
Midland Pallet Trucks holds stock centrally in the West Midlands with many items available for shipping the same day.
To find out more, visit https://www.midlandpallettrucks.com/