Maintaining a healthy back and strong posture is beneficial throughout our lives, allowing us to stay active for as long as possible. The British Chiropractic Organisations recommends managing back health by incorporating daily stretches and movement and taking care of any issues as they arise, rather than letting them get worse.

Eco-friendly, sustainable, recycled – none of these are new terms in the modern business world. For many years now, companies have been looking at ways to reduce their carbon footprint, use resources to their best advantage and recycle whenever possible.

There’s been a lot of discussion in the media recently about the benefits of spending more time standing while at work. Sedentary desk jobs have been shown to decrease life expectancy and increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer, even if you do take regular exercise in line with daily recommendations.

Standard office furniture is designed to complement modern office spaces, all clean lines and smooth finishes, easy to clean and maintain. However, have you considered thinking outside the square and bringing a touch of industrial interior design into your commercial business space?

Image courtesy of Wikimedia.

The word mezzanine started life as a Latin word, medianus, meaning middle or central. It then changed to the Italian mezzano, before the French transformed it once more to mezzanine, the word we know today (hey thanks, Wikipedia!). It describes an intermediate floor between floors overlooking the level below, and can take a variety of forms.

When you think about it, we humans are a complex and ingenious bunch. If an activity is dangerous yet also offers a benefit, rather than consider the danger and avoid the activity, we choose instead to work out ways to protect ourselves. Helmets, padding and, in extreme cases, body armour, have all been devised to minimise the risk and maximise the experience.

Forklift trucks are an indispensible piece of equipment for many in the materials handling industry. Traditionally used for lifting and stacking, they can also be customised by adding attachments, adding to their versatility within your business.

We’ve written previously about workplace storage, and how an efficient, well-organised system can boost productivity as well as improve your work environment. Now let’s delve a little deeper. Providing correct storage for each item is part of safe materials handling, which is where our range of steel handling racks come into play.

We’ve written a few posts recently discussing employer obligations when it comes to providing a safe workplace for employees. Sufficient training and supervision, equipment suited to the task at hand and implementation of procedures are all part of the process. In the end, however, it comes down to the individual employee to work responsibly, employ correct equipment and act in a safe manner at work.

Moving, whether it’s your home or your business, is a prospect that strikes fear into the hearts of most of us. Relocating a business from one office or warehouse to another is an operation that requires a great deal of organisation and forward planning, as well as co-operation by all involved to ensure the day runs smoothly. But don’t despair! We’ve rounded up a few tips to (hopefully) make the experience a more streamlined one.

It’s the responsibility of every employer to provide a safe workplace for their employees, combining training, implementation and physical safety features to minimise risk. At Action Handling, we supply a vast range of different items designed to improve safety on site, as well as maximise employee productivity and workflow. One area in which we specialise is the supply of safety barriers and markings. When you have a workplace that combines personnel with workplace vehicle access, it’s vitally important that separate areas for each are created and clearly marked, to eliminate the risk of accident.

Repetitive strain injury, or RSI, can be defined as pain or discomfort caused by repeating the same physical task over and over again. It’s also a growing area of concern for many businesses, with almost half a million British workers affected with pain or musculoskeletal injuries, according to recent statistics.

We recently posted about the importance of safely storing hazardous materials to protect your most important asset, your employees. However, if you’re running a business with its own office or warehouse, you also have other assets worth protecting. Tools, computer equipment, warehouse contents, employee or workplace vehicles and sensitive documents are just some of the items that can be found at most businesses, not to mention the premises themselves.

Gone are the rows of carbon-copy desks and enclosed offices for a chosen few – now open plan layouts, fresh air, central meeting spaces and clean design are the hallmarks of a modern office. Studies conducted over the past few years have found that environment can play a big part in employee satisfaction and well being, leading to improved productivity.

 

Bespoke Material Equipment sounds expensive but in the long run it can save you a lot of money by helping you work more efficiently.  Read our latest information article on bespoke material handling products.

When it comes to big-ticket items, it can sometimes feel as though hiring equipment is a more cost effective solution than purchasing your own. However, at Action Handling we believe that investing in your business equipment comes with a whole range of benefits.

You may be aware that Action Handling stocks a large range of ladders and accessories. But you may not know that we also have a satellite site dedicated solely to ladders and safety steps, all geared towards helping you make the right choice for your business.

The start of a New Year is a good time to assess your workspace for opportunities to make positive change. Organisation of supplies, staffrooms and office space is an area where even small changes can make a big difference, so take a moment to look at your business and see where there might be room to improve.

When our clients are looking to buying shelving for their businesses we like to point out the numerous considerations that they should be addressing before spending their money. There are a vast amount of choices available to the customer and sometimes it is very easy to make errors which ultimately can prove to be very costly if the wrong choices are made.

The bad weather period is upon us again! How many times do we get caught out in this country waiting until it’s too late to make proper preparations for what could be several days or many weeks of bad weather disruption?  Clearly businesses need to have specific plans in place that can be used to avert the problems caused by such events. A business continuity policy should have ‘bad weather’ inclusion to ensure that your company can cope with a crisis.

One of the most popular pieces of equipment used in the UK is the simple pallet truck. They are often referred to as pump trucks, lift trucks, stillage trucks and probably a multitude of other names but in essence they all do the same job in lifting pallets for ease of movement and transportation.

Our sales team are always available to give great advice on products, legislation and site surveys. Often we find that our customers prefer to discuss large projects or bespoke manufactured requirements on their own site rather than discussing important details just on the end of a telephone.

Prevention of hazardous spills should be the initial aim so the correct identification of chemicals and materials that constitute the label of being hazardous should be the first challenge. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) gives good information on what constitutes being hazardous and  explains how to control hazardous substances at work and comply with the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Regulations 2002.

Use this time to comply with Health & Safety guidelines and fit safety treads and matting to help minimise accidents in the workplace and create a comfortable work environment.