Posted By Colin Reeves
Robert

Bit of clarification. If the container is on the ground there is only a couple of inches from the internal floor of the container to the ground - a trip hazard, but not a risk of falling.

Your question therefore implies that the container base is at a height, thus a fall hazard? This being the case, why? Remove the height and remove the hazard.

Colin

Posted By Simon Belk
Hi Robert

I appreciate your concerns on this matter, as it is something we deal with as well, but we are unloading sacks of grain rather than boxes.

I take it from your thread that the container is still attached to the vehicle it arrived on, and this being the case i suspect it cannot be unloaded from the lorry bed without a crane, a luxury that not all of us have access to, plus another area to be controlled.

You are very right in the first respect of stopping people being raised on pallets by FLT's, this would result in a disciplinary action and re-training if i caught any member of my staff operating in this manner outside of the FLT SWP.

Can the first layers be removed at the loading dock? You say this is a small area, but is it big enough to handle this, and then provide an access route into the container, for you to be able to provide a physical barrier, by using the pallet placed in the container doorway?

Not an ideal first solution but one that does work.

The preferred method i would use is to have a large mobile barriered platform, which can be placed at the back of the container, at the same height as the container floor, with open access at the back for placing pallets down, and a chain style guard that can be placed across the open end once the FLT has been removed from the work area. This would provide a safe stable work platform for the removal of your boxes.

But bear in mind that you will have to carry out an assessment each time you unload the containers, in respect of manual handling, confined spaces, working at height etc.

How do you remove the top layers of boxes from each stack when you are inside the container? Considering the height of a container is usually in the 3m range, do you use a step ladder? or form a set of steps with the boxes?, another assessment to consider?

Also bearing in mind that whilst all this is going on the lorry driver should be removed from the area, and his keys hung up in your despatch office until the operation has been carried out, otherwise it will take a lot of explaining why the lorry driver drove off with several of your members of staff aboard, unless your deciding to export staff rather than import them!.

Hope this is of some help

Si

Posted By Andrew Beveridge
Hi Rob,
We carry out this operation with the containers on the flatbed delivery trailers.

We use a portable deck with handrails; this is the width of the container x 2.4metres deep x the correct height for the container trailer. It is handrailed on both ends and part way down one side.
It is placed against the container by flt and a set of steps is put up against the 'gap' in the handrail.
The unloaders use the steps to access the platform and move away from the step area. The steps are then removed and an flt places a pallet on the deck, using the flt mast as a gap filler for the handrail gap.
The unloaders then handball the boxes from the stacks onto the pallets. When the pallets are full, they step away from the pallet area and the pallet is removed and a replacement one put in place.
Repeat until there is sufficient space inside the container for pallets to be landed inside it. Insert steps, remove unloaders, remove steps, remove platform, replace steps, unloaders back into container. We use the end of the platform against half the open end of the container as a guardrail, and pallets in the gap to control the rest of the opening.

Depending on the contents, it is worth considering a confined space risk assessment ~ ours is OK as it is boxes of chocolate!
Hope this is of some help; please feel free to drop me a line if you want more.
Best regards
Andy

Posted By Simon Belk
Hi Rob.

Just a thought on conveyors.

It would be worth looking at Airport style conveyors, used for unloading luggage from the cargo holds. These are mobile and height adjustable, obviously you would need to make sure that the staff are trained in their use and that suitable assessments are carried out and guards/SWP are in place, alternatively you could always try roller conveyors rather than powered conveyors, this would do away with the problems of trailing power leads, burnt out motors, expensive electrical maintenance, etc, etc.

We use conveyors supplied by a company called swift lift, they may be worth looking at, or talking to as this is their field of expertise.

Have a good weekend

Si