5 replies to this topic

[dmcmullen]

Hello all, we have fairly large distribution center, (100k+SQF), and we have racking throughout the warehouse that is 3 high by 3 deep, usually full of cased palleted product, like most all of you. My question is, how do you go about dusting your racking on a regular basis? AIB audits us and, although we keep a very clean warehouse, we struggle with the racking being kept dust free. Do you empty your racks on a regular basis by sections and use a scissor lift? Please let me know what works for your sanitation team. Thanks so much. 

[TimG]

They go on my deep cleaning schedule. Frequency will be based on dust buildup (and risk if there is combustible dust). I've done everything from annual clean, with a different section being hit every quarter. To the same but a monthly rotation. To needing to clean the WHOLE rack/ceiling area quarterly because it was a sugar plant and sugar dust has a bad habit of exploding.

I've used scissor lifts, basket lifts, and forklift man baskets (get the certified ones, not one that your maintenance guys welded together out of scrap metal and swear is OSHA compliant).

I've also used telescoping dusters when the roof/beams were within reach of them. You might want to look into those first, but I've found those aren't great for racks like you'd have in a distribution center.

[dmcmullen]

They go on my deep cleaning schedule. Frequency will be based on dust buildup (and risk if there is combustible dust). I've done everything from annual clean, with a different section being hit every quarter. To the same but a monthly rotation. To needing to clean the WHOLE rack/ceiling area quarterly because it was a sugar plant and sugar dust has a bad habit of exploding.

I've used scissor lifts, basket lifts, and forklift man baskets (get the certified ones, not one that your maintenance guys welded together out of scrap metal and swear is OSHA compliant).

I've also used telescoping dusters when the roof/beams were within reach of them. You might want to look into those first, but I've found those aren't great for racks like you'd have in a distribution center.

Thank you, Tim, we have a couple of real MEWPs here at our facility. I have also found that the telescoping dusters do no work well on racking. Thanks for your response on this.

[Scampi]

we use a scissor lift and our employees ONLY do what they can safely reach    we cannot empty racking as we are always full to bursting   annual task, but done monthly by area

[GMO]

It might be a job for some specialist cleaners but that reduces the cost significantly if you can reduce the dust. Where is it coming from? Do your fork lifts generate it? Could you move to electric? Is it coming in on wheels or footwear or on the pallets themselves? Can you not have as much traffic going outside and in and have mats to reduce the amount of dust? Can you put in dust extraction as well? 

[jfrey123]

Chiming in to agree that all my sites have dusted the warehouse racking at some rotating frequency, depending on the dust build up of the environment.  Recommend writing it up in your SOP as a top-to-bottom procedure, auditors like to nitpick and dusting the bottom first just to let the top get knocked down onto it is something you don't want to let them ding you for.

 

If all you have is a scissor lift, send someone up in it.  But if you have a cherry picker for routine order pulling, that works too and is a lot quicker to move around on.