One of the most effective ways to transport goods from one place to the other, especially warehousing goods, is stacking them on pallets. Pallets come in a variety of materials, the most common being wood, metal and plastic. All three materials can be reused as long as they are still in good condition. If you are thinking about investing in used pallets, you have to inspect them and ensure that they will not fall apart or destroy your goods in another way. Here are some tips to help you safely reuse your old pallets.
Check for the Safety Stamp
Not all pallets that you will find in the market, especially used ones, meet the minimum safety standards to be used in transport. One of the simple checks that you can make to ensure that pallets are safe is checking for the stamp from the national safety body. While there are a few which will have the stamp erased, but still in good condition, it is still a great idea to use those that were once certified by national authorities.
Restrict the Height of Stacking
Used pallets are significantly less sturdy than the new ones. This means that when you are loading them, you have to try and ensure that you place a little less load than you would if you were using a new pallet. When stacking used pallets, remember that they cannot bear as much stacking weight as they did when they were new. Experts recommend that you should limit the stacking height to four feet or less. It would be better to have several stacks of pallets than to end up with destroyed goods as a result of stacking mistakes.
Take Care When Lifting the Pallets
Another thing that you need to be careful about is how you lift the pallets. If you are lifting them manually, the risk of accidents is raised. If the pallets must be handled manually, make sure that a competent person who can comfortably lift between 50 and 70 pounds handles the lifting. Encourage employees to work together and coordinate the lifting of the pallets as this reduces the possibility of accidents.
These are some of the most useful steps which you can follow when dealing with used pallets. It is advisable to always check for the strength of the pallets before buying them. Also, ensure that a competent person handles the transportation of the goods once loaded on the vehicle for transportation.
For more information, contact a company like 1/2 Price Pallets.
