Selecting the right shelving unit involves a comprehensive evaluation of various factors, not just cost. Important considerations include the type of assembly, mobility requirements, intended use, aesthetic appeal, size and load capacity. By assessing all these elements, you're able to narrow down your options, ensuring the chosen shelves perfectly meet your needs.

When asked which type of trolley or truck is better for moving goods, the answer isn’t that straightforward. There are several things that need consideration before choosing equipment and by answering a short set of questions, this can hopefully lead you to a simple answer.

Hazardous storage cabinets play a critical role in keeping your workplace safe. They are designed to store hazardous materials and chemicals securely, preventing any potential hazards that could harm employees, the environment and the public.

Plastic bins are one of the most popular types of small part storage bin. They are lightweight, durable and affordable. Plastic bins are available in many different sizes and colours, which make them easy to customise to fit the needs of any organisation. Additionally, plastic bins are easy to clean and maintain, which makes them ideal for use in all industrial environments.

Business owners beware, if your employees fall and injure themselves whilst working at height, unless you can prove that you have provided the correct access safety equipment, staff training and regular maintenance of that equipment, you could be in line for an expensive outcome!

UK companies should view the traditional summer shutdown as a period where there are great benefits that can be derived with some careful advanced planning.

Many organisations run fleets of lifting equipment and some have multi sites throughout the UK to consider. These sites usually have pallet trucks, hydraulic stackers, scissor lift tables and many other types of materials handling lifting equipment.

Two prevalent issues plague businesses nationwide: accidents potentially causing injuries to employees and visitors and theft within the premises. Despite the reduction in theft from a peak of 17,700 offences in 2002/03 to 6,558 in 2022/23, any level of theft remains unacceptable.

Most businesses often use a member of their staff to access something that is beyond a safe reaching height. Whether that might be reaching for a file that has been shoved up on top of a cupboard, changing a light bulb or carrying out a regular order picking task. How many times have you seen colleagues standing on chairs and desks to reach something or climbing up on machinery to gain better access? Please don’t, there is a better way.

Effective waste management is crucial for maintaining a sustainable and environmentally responsible society. Industrial waste bins play a vital role in that waste disposal processes, particularly for paper, general or recycling waste.

The world of warehousing and logistics has a crucial element of efficiency and productivity. The use of electric order picking equipment has revolutionised the order picking process and has offered a much more convenient and user-friendly solution for UK businesses.

There are many unloved, rusty-around-the-edges pallet trucks lurking in corners or out the back of company premises. Have you got any? Would you consider resurrecting them or perhaps you think they are beyond repair?

Unlocking efficiency combined with safety in today's fast paced business world is critical for the transportation of heavy loads when negotiating stairways and other challenging terrains.

There are many dangers around the workplace to consider, but one that seems to be continually overlooked is the safe storage of hazardous substances. What are deemed to be hazardous and how do you identify the risks? It's not just flammable material or noxious gases, it's far more encompassing than that.

Welcome to the ultimate guide to Mobile Elevating Work Platforms (MEWPs)! If you're looking to ensure safety and efficiency in your elevated work tasks, you've come to the right place.

Regular servicing and Thorough Examinations are essential for maintaining the safety and efficiency of lifting equipment, such as stackers, pallet trucks, forklift trucks, scissor lift tables and indeed all hydraulic lifting equipment.

When it comes to efficiently storing and transporting goods, stillages and pallets are essential tools for many businesses.

Manhole covers are an essential component of the UK’s drainage and sewerage infrastructure, providing access to underground systems for maintenance and repair.

Maintenance and safety are critical aspects of managing material handling equipment. By prioritising maintenance and implementing safety measures, you can ensure smooth operations and minimise the risk of accidents.

Investing in material handling equipment offers numerous benefits for warehouse operations. From increased safety and reduced labour costs to improved inventory management and faster order fulfilment, these tools can transform your warehouse into a well-oiled machine.

In today's fast-paced business world, efficiency and productivity are key to staying ahead of the competition. When it comes to warehouse operations, streamlining processes is essential for meeting customer demands and maximising profits. One effective way to achieve this is by investing in top-of-the-line material handling equipment. From fork stackers and pallet trucks to conveyors and automated systems, these tools can revolutionise your warehouse operations and take them to new heights.

Whether a forced relocation or by choice, moving business premises can be a fraught enough task in itself, so why not take advantage of the upheaval with floor layout improvements and equipment upgrades.

We all love seeing and hearing the wonderful array of birds that reside in the UK, with many of us putting out food daily in our gardens for them. As a nation we spend £250m a year on wild bird food, such as seeds, peanuts and fats. However, the cost and disruption to industry from our feathered friends is often disregarded.

One-in-three accidents at work are caused by manual handling. In 2022 out of the 1.8 million working people suffering from a work-related illness, 477,000 of them experienced problems from a job-related musculoskeletal disorder according to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE). Furthermore, 300,000 people in the UK were troubled with back pain caused by manual handling incidents!

This tote has absolutely nothing to do with 'The Tote' that was founded in 1928 by Winston Churchill when the Racecourse Betting Control Board was set up.

The two things about the British weather that we all know, is that first off it is not predictable and the second is that we never seem to be prepared for it! Snow in November right through to March or beyond is a distinct possibility and yet businesses across the UK systematically fail to be ready to deal with what should be an inconvenience rather than a complete disaster. Companies would fair better by assessing the risks and then order the equipment and supplies needed in advance so they will be better prepared for what is coming!

Is there a definitive origin for the art of queueing? The word queue comes from the 12th century Old French word 'cue' meaning tail of an animal, which originates from the Latin word 'cauda'. So when did queueing start in Britain? During the early 19th century queues had become common occurrences as masses of people had migrated from the countryside to the towns to find work during the Industrial Revolution.

Sack trucks have been around since the industrial revolution and were used to move large sacks of spices around the docks. As this was usually the job of young boys, the simple L-shaped sack truck with two wheels was invented to allow the children single handedly move goods much heavier than they could carry. That design has survived and is still in use today. There have also been further design developments resulting in numerous material handling trucks more suited to specific tasks.

Recent events have shown how vulnerable we can be to fires when the temperature rises. Bonfires, BBQs, electrical faults or even a simply discarded cigarette stub can start what can turn out to be a catastrophe.

While the stadiums, gymnasiums and sports venues are filled with 4500 athletes from 72 nations vying for medals, consider the amount of work required behind the scenes to make the Friendly Games a success for the thousands of spectators visiting the 15 venues in the West Midlands over the 12 days of sporting events.

There are 113 new products that have been launched onto the market this month. We have a section on our website where all these products are showcased.

As everyone knows, pallet trucks are used to move pallets around warehouses, loading bays and factories all over the world. As building construction projects have seen an increase in activity since the relaxing of pandemic restrictions during late 2021, full steam ahead seems to be the mantra for many large projects around the UK.

The two things about the British weather that we all know, is that first off it is not predictable and the second is that we never seem to be prepared for it! Snow in November right through to March or beyond is a distinct possibility and yet businesses across the UK systematically fail to be ready to deal with what should be an inconvenience rather than a complete disaster. Companies would fair better by assessing the risks and then order the equipment and supplies needed in advance so they will be better prepared for what is coming!

Sometimes we are just all so busy that we overlook the simple things in business. Maintenance and servicing of equipment is an area that is often overlooked, yet with a little help from your friends at Action Handling Equipment this can be a scheduled event that you do not have to worry about.

When you start to look at the huge variety of clothes lockers that are available today, it can seem a little daunting finding out which one suits your needs best. Aren’t they basically all the same? A locker is just a locker, isn’t it?

The answer to both of those questions is ‘no’ of course! Buying clothes lockers is easy but buying the best type of locker can be anything but and far too many companies have in the past made poor choices and ended up paying dearly for a rash purchase.

Abellio Bus are part of the Abellio Group who run bus services across London on behalf of Transport for London. Recent developments have seen the introduction of their new electric bus fleet with the Caetano e.City Gold Bus operating on certain routes. The company recognised that they needed some steel shelving to store replacement components for their maintenance teams who work at various depots around South London. Their engineers need easy access to replacement batteries for the electric buses along with general replacement parts for the essential maintenance and repair of those buses as and when required.

PVC strip curtains have a variety of uses when installed in factory, warehouse or despatch areas. They can be used to keep the heat out in the summer and keep the heated air within the area during the colder months. They provide segregation between different work areas allowing for various processes to take place without disrupting each other. Keeping dust, debris, insects and even pests away from the workplace is very important and these curtains can help to achieve this as well.

Demand for workplace lockers has rocketed over the last six months. Home delivery is here to stay and several of our logistics customers have created tens of thousands of new jobs in the UK as they invest over £250 million to meet the demand caused from stay-at-home shopping.

When there is a pile of goods that are needed to be moved from one area to another, there are various ways in which that can be achieved. You can either handball each item or place the goods onto a truck or trolley of some description and push or pull them to their new location.

During the past eight months it has been very easy to overlook an important responsibility for employers and businesses when being faced with the new challenges of the Coronavirus pandemic. Health and safety in the workplace is pivotal to company operating strategies and cannot be compromised at any time.

Applying strapping as a packaging measure to pallets, boxes, cartons and loose products seems like an easy thing to do but getting it right in terms of the actual requirement and the costs involved can be anything but!

You know it's going to happen and then you find yourself hunting around for an old and no doubt part damaged broom! You remember back to last year when you swore that you would be better prepared this year. Well, you still have time provided you act quickly!

The Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the UK lockdown from March 23rd 2020. Three months later he then reported that lockdown easing measures would start to be implemented from July 4th with the re-opening of some of the hospitality industry and other public spaces.

Moving the drums around in small confined areas is another process that requires careful consideration. The simple and most economical way is by using a drum dolly or drum truck.

As the lockdown eases across the UK, thousands of businesses and public buildings are having to consider how they can minimise the risk of infection from entering their premises.

The lunchtime rest period or tea break is normally seen as a social time for employees in the UK. Businesses are having to adapt in light of the Coronavirus epidemic, whilst still managing to provide that vital time for workers to take a well earned break from daily work duties and to recuperate in time for the tasks ahead.

We are having to get used to very different rules and guidance in our daily lives regarding the Coronavirus epidemic. This is no more illustrated than in the workplace with businesses having to adapt their working practises and define policies that allow for social distancing and safe practises. Indeed, the front entrance to a building is now being seen as the first line of defence.

From May 13th lock-down procedures are being eased across England in an effort to help stimulate the economy. Those who can easily work from home are still advised to do so but for many, returning to their place of work has now become a reality.

Action Handling Equipment offer the service of Thorough Examinations, repairs, servicing and the maintenance of lifting equipment. So what should happen during the Coronavirus outbreak? 

These are extraordinary times and our absolute priority is to ensure the health and safety of our customers and employees.

A high street discounter supermarket and a logistics giant both called on Action Handling to supply floor marking tapes to mark out areas where customers and staff should stand for social distancing.

Manually moving loads on even a flat surface can be an arduous task at the best of times, but factor in the additional effort to complete this task up or down a flight of stairs and the task can become extremely physical not to mention having a far greater risk of injury. Narrow stairways, twisting stairs and small landings can all present dangers. The risk extends from the individual carrying out the task itself, through to injury of dropping goods on people using the stairs below and of course to the accidental damage to the goods in question.

Action Handling are proud to be helping the UK's communications and media services infrastructure. Our service teams have been carrying out 'Thorough Examinations' on lifting equipment across the whole of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. 

One of the most frustrating and annoying thefts is that of having your tools stolen. Not only are you losing your precious and prized tools, but you are also having your livelihood put on hold and or even at risk. Despicable as it is, the thieves seem to have no qualms about preventing a fellow man from going about his work and providing for his family.

Knock on the door, ring the bell, ring it well, wipe your feet and walk in.  It’s a rhyme I was recently reminded of, that my great grandfather shared with us as we grew up. I am sure if you are from the Sheffield area, it’s a rhyme you might have heard of too. It then got me thinking about entrance matting and how it relates to the rhyme.

Manhole covers or maintenance hole covers are removable plates that form the lid over an opening of a manhole. This is an opening that a person can pass through or maintenance can be conducted from. It usually gains access to a utility vault, pipe or void and can be rectangular, square or circular, whilst coming in a whole variety of sizes.

Human nature often leads us to act in haste but needlessly means we sometimes end up repenting at leisure! We have all tried at one time or other to pick up some awkward load that we wish we hadn’t. Either we end up with a back injury, suffer a fall or damage the load in question. If we had stopped for one minute to ponder what help was at hand, then we might well have saved ourselves from avoidable anguish.

An analysis of work injuries across all job types, shows that slips, trips and falls are the most common cause of physical harm. The degree of harm sustained depends on the hazard in place and the height at which it occurs. A simple stumble can result in anything from a minor mishap to a serious accident which may involve dangerous machinery, or even a person falling from height to death.

A County Durham based company recently approached us to manufacture three bespoke roll forward tipping skips. Having seen our standard range of skips online, they talked to our sales manager, Jon Ball about having their specific needs and requirements met.

Why you should choose a company that offers much more than just e-commerce.

Businesses are often faced with the need to provide new or additional materials handling or access procedures in order to deal with trading expansion, health and safety implementation or new legal requirements. It is very easy to overlook the existing equipment that you already have within your organisation, that could easily be adapted to suit the task in hand.

Podium steps are considered a safer method of low-level access than conventional stepladders and platform steps. They comprise of a climbing ladder frame but fitted with a 360° fully enclosed working platform area and normally come with the option of having outrigged stabilisers fitted in order to increase base stability.

When you normally think of pallet trucks you think of a helpful tool that moves wooden or plastic pallets around a warehouse or factory floor. Well, of course they do predominately do that, but there are also a whole variety of other styles that are designed for many different tasks or uses in less traditional environments.

Having the responsibility for a large warehouse or factory project can be a huge undertaking. However, there’s no need to face this task alone. There are professional companies well placed to handle part or all of the work. Knowing how to delegate is the only skill you’ll need! Find a company that can schedule, organise and deliver it all on time, leaving you to continue with your normal work duties.

Choosing pallet racking for your business can be a very tricky exercise. There are so many options, styles, sizes and basic considerations that you need to factor into making the correct choice. Most decisions on whether to use pallet racking are based on either the need to use a more economic method of storing pallets at your facility, the need to improve the speed of delivery of pallets to customers or the improved use of the pallet contents within your own business..

Whilst every company is unique in its own way, the work problems it can encounter on a daily basis are often shared throughout industry. Action Handling has a 48 year trading history, during which it has accrued a fountain of knowledge, so when it comes to finding solutions for work problems, we can often pull on previous projects completed for other customers with similar hurdles to jump.

Before buying cylinder handling and storage equipment it is important to understand and assess how different types of cylinders need to be handled and also to establish the actual requirements of individual gases by identifying them in the first place.

Stunning colours! But if you have company premises, then falling leaves can be a big problem to handle. There's no escaping them, even at home the decaying foliage becomes an unwanted headache to have to deal with.

Were you prepared when the temperatures soared? Why is it that UK companies never quite seem to get ahead with extreme weather planning? In the latest heat wave, suppliers across the country ran out of fans, air conditioning units, water coolers and even cold drink machines. To avoid this happening again, Action Handling advise their clients to put in place a strategic plan to cover all the seasons and all the possible extreme weather problems that can happen.

Traditionally we always associate that the work of a fork lift truck or stacker truck is confined to lifting palletised loads on and off from delivery vehicles on to pallet racking or direct to the shop floor. Whilst it is true that this is their primary function, we at Action Handling Equipment encourage customers to view their lifting trucks as a much more versatile tool than just that.

Through the Climate Change Act, the UK government has committed to reducing emissions by 80% of the levels they were in 1990, by the year 2050. In order for this target to be achieved, businesses and industry are being encouraged to replace high-carbon investments with greener alternatives when the opportunity arises. We have compiled some ways in which some factories, warehouses and other industrial workplaces can make positive and greener changes, which not only help with lowering carbon emissions but also help save money long-term.

We all know that there is more to dealing with inclement weather at work than just whacking the heating on; but did you know that, according to the HSE, occurrences of accidents at work statistically increase in the colder months.

Figures from the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) show that an estimated 4.5 million working days were lost in the UK in 2015/16 due to self-reported workplace injuries. Whilst the general trend is that the number of reported injuries occurring at work is reducing over time, the HSE also note that due to the widespread underreporting of incidents, those figures are likely to be considerably higher in reality.

We all know that it doesn’t take much for an organised and tidy stockroom to quickly become a mess. When things get busy, it’s sometimes easier to cut corners and go back later – however, leaving stock, empty cardboard boxes, packaging and numerous other items lying around can seriously impact on the efficiency and safety of your storage area.

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?

When running a business, productivity is a key part of management, with teams always looking for ways to improve. However, recent studies have shown that an organised workplace can assist productivity – and when you think about it, it makes sense.

We've written a few posts 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.

We’ve written previously about the positive effects of having an organised workplace and how effective storage can contribute to productivity. Employee well-being is becoming more of a focus for many companies, with fluid employment markets and increased opportunities meaning businesses need to do more to attract and retain the best employees for the job.

As your business grows, chances are your equipment requirements will grow with it, requiring investment in larger items to meet your needs. Sometimes it can seem easier to hire equipment in the short term, but it may be better in the long term, to invest in your ongoing growth by purchasing rather than hiring.

Office space has changed a great deal over the past few decades. 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.

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. It makes good sense for the planet and also financially, with savings to be found in streamlining practices, utilities and materials so we only use what we need.

It might be a common theme for jokes, but really, how many workers does it take to change a light bulb? Let’s make no mistake about it, having substandard lighting in your factory or warehouse is a potential danger for your employees.

The man hours lost in your warehouse can seriously jeopardise the effectiveness of your business as a whole. A goods inwards delay can prevent the timely manufacture or assembly of finished products and similarly delays in the picking and despatch of those products will mean that your customers will not receive goods on time. What can be a generally accepted first class product can be completely let down by poor warehouse planning.

Few things look more unsightly around your workplace than discarded cigarette butts, yet it’s estimated that 79% of all public places in the UK are blighted by them. Since the smoking ban which prohibits smoking inside any public space came into force in 2007, littering is a problem which seems to have escalated.

Winter can be a testing time for any business. Freezing temperatures, high winds, snow and ice can all conspire to make things a little more difficult than they might otherwise be. Obviously, the weather in the UK is somewhat fickle, making it very hard to predict what may or may not happen next month, next week or even tomorrow, which means forethought and preparation are key in keeping things running smoothly.

There is nothing more annoying for your customers than deliveries arriving damaged. Every consignment that they have to return costs them both time and money, which means that ultimately, their damaged deliveries will damage your business.

Almost one tonne per household which is pretty much a Nissan micra each per home, that’s without taking into account large events which we attend and produce a mountain of waste such as sporting events, pop concerts and industry waste, no wonder the wheelie bin is very much an everyday essential especially as our  household waste increases by 3% per year, so on that ratio our waste at home in 17 years will be two Nissan micra's.  

If you are using any item of work at height equipment within the workplace including a scaffold access tower, either as an employee or self-employed person, the work at height regulations will apply to you

When I mention adhesive tapes, straight away you are probably thinking sellotape! The fun you had in your childhood making space stations or princess castles out of mum’s old Rice Crispies cereal boxes, Fairy washing up liquid bottles and empty toilet paper rolls. Sticking them all together with an endless amount of tape to create what you see in your mind as a pure masterpiece. You would feel that you had constructed something far greater than the pyramids.

Anti-fatigue mats are predominantly used in industrial and commercial working environments to provide worker comfort. Standing for lengthy periods of time during your work shift on hard and sometimes cold floors causes general fatigue plus health problems such as poor blood circulation, aches in joints, and pains in feet, hips and back. Standing for long periods is also bad for health because of the strain on the lower limbs. The problems caused with feet can include corns, bunions, flat feet and heel spurs. Medical professionals also link standing for long periods day in day out to varicose veins. These causes to health problems can be easily reduced by providing a comfortable working environment, and anti-fatigue mats also reduce slips, trips and falls. As we know slips, trips and falls mean a decrease in staff productivity, absenteeism and ultimately can cost employers millions of pounds each year.  

There are many trade names covering this product but at the end of the day it is a conveyor that can be bent around corners or obstacles, it is flexible throughout its length, it can expand in length to suit an application plus you have the option of having the conveyor fitted with either rollers or skatewheels. Sound confusing….well it is not really, it`s just a matter of choices that best suit a situation.  

We often cite Health and Safety requirements in our blog posts – after, all, they are an integral part of doing business in the UK. The information we cite is for general purposes only – each business should have their own policy in place and all staff should be aware of what it is. However, there are several basic rules that can apply to most companies, such as:

• Proper staff training
• Using the correct equipment for the job
• Keeping equipment maintained and up to date with regular safety checks
• Providing a clean work environment

When you invest in equipment for your business, you naturally want to receive value for money. Negotiating purchases and procuring the right tools for the job are part of running your business effectively, as is protecting your assets once they are yours.

High-street retailers generally offer a wide range of quantities and sizes of goods, which can lead to storage issues. Coping with ever-changing stock and seasonal variations can turn a carefully designed stockroom into a difficult to use and highly inefficient area.

When looking at buying any shelving system it’s a good idea to think ahead of your present specification. In our forty years experience supplying the materials handling industry, we’ve found that customer requirements can change within a very short space of time.

When a high-profile London based investment bank needed to store a vast amount of company records at one of their sites, they contacted Action Handling with a request to assess their requirements and provide a solution. We sent one of our experienced sales representatives to visit the premises where they measured the allocated room, formulated a shelving design layout to best utilise the space and offered a quotation accordingly. The shelving system selected was the Connect 2 system, which offers both a very quick installation and lead-time from the manufacturing process. In addition, the fact that the system could be easily reconfigured to suit the space was another deciding factor.

When you introduce a shelving or racking system into a warehouse, you’ll require other associated material handling equipment, a fact that is often overlooked when making the decision to implement these systems. We strongly urge customers to contact us prior to purchase, in order to discuss the complete package of equipment that may be needed. Even taking into account that either a stacker or a fork-lift truck will be required, these items require a level of operator training and a comprehensive maintenance program to support the on-going efficient use of the machine.

Take a look around your business premises. Really take a good hard look. How do your shelves look? Are they clean and tidy, or have they amassed dirt, dust and debris from use over time?