Working Safely with Roll Containers

Roll containers are widely used and their use is only becoming more important in peak periods. We have written this blog so that not everyone who comes into contact with it knows how to use the roll container properly.

Working with roll containers is physically demanding and injuries may result from incorrect use. That is precisely why it is important to use roll containers in the right way. We recommend combining a smart purchase with regular maintenance, good organisation and a healthy/ergonomic working method. If you do that, you will make working with roll containers a lot more efficient, healthier and more ergonomic! You and your staff remain healthy, which means that you or your company will save costs in sick leave.

How can you work healthier and ergonomically with roll containers?

In order to work healthily and ergonomically with roll containers, both the employer and the employee can take certain precautions:

Employer:

• Smart purchase of new equipment
• Regular maintenance of the equipment
• A good (work) organisation

Employee:

• A healthy working method, attitude and behaviour

Do you need to use a roll container?

The choice to take a roll container or something else is really only dependent on the weight of the load that you have to move. Less heavy loads (by which we mean up to 500 kg) that have to be moved over short distances are extremely suitable for moving with a roll container. If one speaks of longer distances, multiple packages and/or heavier loads (by this we mean more than 500 kg), then a roll container is not suitable.

What to Consider When Buying a Roll Container

Below we will list a few important points that you should pay attention to when purchasing new roll containers.

Wheels for roll containers:

• The size of the wheels, as a larger wheel will give you less rolling resistance. As a result, less force is required to move a roll container
• The material of the wheels, for a flat floor, choose PP or PA wheels. For comfort with an uneven floor and obstacles, opt for streak-free wheels rubber wheels
• The number of wheels, if your roll container is not overloaded and you have to manoeuvre a lot, you can use 4 swivel wheels. If this is not applicable, we recommend 2 fixed castors and 2 swivel castors
• The wheel bearings, the best quality bearing of wheels you can choose are ball bearings. These must always be dust and dirt proof.

Handles

Make sure there is enough space at chest level to be able to hold the roll container while moving it. Vertical handles are ideal, but this is often not possible on standard roll containers, so you should take the grip into account when loading the roll container.

Brake

Preferably opt for a foot-operated parking brake. Please note that this serves to hold the roll container in place during transport in a truck or on a slope.

Maintenance of Roll Containers

Proper maintenance of roll containers is very important, you save costs because replacement is less likely to happen and you or your staff have less absenteeism because they can work in a healthier and more ergonomic way with roll containers.

• Check your roll containers regularly because this is the only way to prevent damage and unsafe situations
• Roll containers must be serviced at least once a year, paying particular attention to the wheels and any brakes
• Do not use broken or worn roll containers. It is better to put this aside and attach a special label to it, for example for a maintenance team. If it is true that your employees also work with roll containers from customers or suppliers, then make agreements with them about the maintenance of their roll containers

To test the wheels of your roll containers simply but effectively, you can have them roll down a sloping slope (approximately 1 meter high) with a flat subfloor. If the roll container then skews away, maintenance of the wheels is required.

Consider the following points when loading your roll containers:

• Heavy goods must always be at the bottom and spread over the entire bottom of the roll container
• Do not place all heavy goods on 1 roll container, but distribute this over several roll containers
• Do not stack goods so high on 1 roll container that you can no longer look over the load
• Do not load roll containers heavier than 500 kg

What can your staff do?

Drivers and warehouse staff can do a lot themselves to work with roll containers in a healthy and ergonomic way. They can prevent health problems by using the right method. For example, always push a roll container with a straight back, grab roll containers at chest level to move them, remove the strength from your legs (not from the back) and use the entire body weight.

If you need to train new staff who are going to work with roll containers, share the following tips with them:

• Gently move the roll container, this saves half the required pushing force
• Always use 2 hands when pushing and controlling roll containers to properly distribute the load over your body and so you can also keep your back straight
• Always steer the roll container from the side where the castors are, steering is not only easy, you can also turn more sharply
• Place the wheels in the driving direction before starting
• Make sure you use a suitable steel road plate to overcome obstacles such as thresholds or curbs. For example, for a curb of 10 centimetres, a road plate must be 60 cm long, many people underestimate this

With this blog, we hope to have informed you sufficiently about ergonomic and healthy working with roll containers. Do you need to buy other roll containers after reading or do you want to know more about our range of roll containers? We are happy to assist you in our webshop www.rotomshop.co.uk