Working Safely with Pallets - Basic Steps(2)

Exercise extreme caution if standing on a pallet.  A worker standing on a pallet can be injured if a deck board breaks, or if the worker’s foot gets caught between deck boards. Depending upon design, some pallets of 9-leg design may be prone to tipping when empty.

Use a pick hook for accessing products at the back of a pallet. One way to avoid stepping on a pallet is to use a pick hook to reach product on the back of a pallet and pull it forward. 

Take care when stepping between pallets. When pallets are positioned side by side in storage racks, workers may step between or on pallets to access products at the back of the pallet. Ankle or knee injury can result if the worker loses balance while stepping between pallets.

Enter pallets with care. When entering pallets of merchandise with a power jack, take care to ensure the stability of the load by entering squarely, and be cognizant that when entering, you may be pushing the pallet forward, potentially into another worker that may be obscured behind your load. Some facilities mandate a warning honk before entering a unit load of merchandise to warn other workers. 

Handling pallets is a daily practice in many workplaces, and where necessary safety precautions are taken, a safe working environment is typically the result. Before starting on the job, check with your employer to be clear about safe handling expectations. 

Restrict the height of stacked pallets to 4 feet. If workers are stacking or unstacking them manually, keep maximum stack height to a reasonable level to facilitate easier pallet handling. Have a forklift operator separate full stacks in half at the point of use.

Ensure that pallets will slide freely, or ask for help. When manually moving a wood pallet off of a stack, it is a good idea to ensure that it will slide freely by tipping the pallet slightly to ensure that the pallet is not snagged on the pallet below by a protruding nail.

Better yet, ask a co-worker to assist in the lift.