Gone are the days when we had to lift everything using our own physical strength. Advances in technological solutions have not only made a wide range of processes much safer, but they’ve also sped things up dramatically - especially when it comes to loading and unloading.
While a lot of focus goes into detailing modern lorry-loading technologies, much less tends to be said about loading and unloading smaller vehicles, such as vans. With that in mind, we’ve decided to take a look at how you can do so in a safe, controlled manner using the most suitable, high-quality systems.
Find the right loading system
The first step to unloading your van is to identify the most appropriate system on the market. In most cases, this is done most effectively by working with a specialist loading automation company such as Joloda Hydraroll.
While there are plenty of options available, one of the most versatile and efficient for most medium-sized vehicles, from smaller vans all the way up to Luton vans, is some kind of modular rollerbed loading system.
With these kinds of systems, you can roll and then lock pallets or other heavy items into the van, increasing both ease of use and the safety of the load during transportation.
Load the van properly
Even the most advanced loading solution can’t just increase safety all by itself. It still needs to be used properly, and a big part of that lies in how you load the van. An important issue here is load distribution; you need to make sure that weight is equally distributed both vertically and horizontally.
While this is critical for driving the van, it’s also important when it comes to unloading. Unloading pallets that are top-heavy with a forklift truck or other loading method is far more dangerous than a bottom-heavy one, and it can be avoided early on in the packing process.
Employee training
Everyone involved in the loading and unloading process needs to be trained in safe practices. This includes general points like the one listed above, but also more site-specific issues such as how to operate specialist unloading equipment.
This training needs to be regularly updated, and should include issues to look out for in terms of faulty hardware. Regardless of maintenance schedules, things can still go wrong, and it’s important that you’re able to avoid unnecessary incidents through proactive repair.
Increased automation
One of the overall aims of automation - to reduce the number of people necessary to carry out certain procedures - also has a big impact on safety. Simply put, in many cases the fewer people around, the fewer people there are who can get hurt.
Increasing safety during loading and unloading processes isn’t a simple, easy fix that you can sort out once and for all. You should constantly be coming back to it, looking at historical incidents and considering ways you can improve your current system. With this kind of approach, you can ensure that your approach remains optimised in the face of changing risks.
