Three-Dimensional Dangers Require Three-Dimensional Safety

Facility managers can enhance their fall protection plans by taking a systematic approach to safety.

Production facilities, distribution centers and warehouses are essential components in any supply chain and economic lynchpins of their communities. Unfortunately, the operations carried out in these types of facilities can present many potential risks for workers. These dangers don’t only come from one direction, either. In a three-dimensional world, dangers come from every angle.

Every area of a facility brings its own unique set of safety challenges. Loading docks long have been recognized as dangerous work areas – with risks ranging from forklift accidents to dangerous falls from improperly protected dock openings, among other things. Fall-related accidents also are an ever-present danger in elevated work areas such as mezzanines. Additionally, an increasing number of plants and warehouses have pit areas that workers can fall into if they are not guarded properly.

Smart facility managers address these dangers by taking a systematic approach to safety. In order to keep workers safe and stay up to date with new safety standards, more and more facility managers are – or should be looking at – ways to enhance safety in every dimension.