A bag of tortilla chips isn't very heavy. But pack a tote with tortillas, and it could tip scales at about 40 pounds. That's heavy, especially if you're in a warehouse stacking totes by hand onto a pallet all day long.

Tom Davis, safety manager for the U.S. branch of the world's leading corn flour tortilla supplier Mission Foods, knew that at the company's 13 plants across the country, employees were loading and shipping thousands of pallets every day. While there's no disputing the company's success, he was worried about the number of on-the-job injuries, medical expenses, recovery time, overtime and recruits.

Pallet loading—all done by hand—was one of Davis's biggest areas of concern. Workers stacked pallets six high. Stacking lower levels required a lot of bending. And at every layer, employees carried full totes around to the empty side of the pallet as needed. About 500 of the company's 4,000 workers load pallets. Many of them can attest how easy it is to twist an ankle or strain a back from repetitive lifting.

“Let's face it, loading pallets all day long is hard work. We had a high turn-over rate, and recruiting and training is expensive,” Davis says.

All the right moves

Mounting insurance costs at their Pueblo, Colo., plant convinced Mission Foods to invest in a manual palletizer, which has a rotating platform that can be turned by hand, lowers all the way to the floor, and is designed for use with hand pallet trucks. Accessible from all sides, it can be raised and lowered as needed so that each tier of goods can be handled at the same height. The rotating platform means workers can stay on the same side of the unit at all times, which greatly reduces the risk of injury.

“Pallet loading is easier now,” Davis says. “We've seen a decrease in injuries and overtime, and turnover is down 50%.”

Southworth Products 800-743-1000 www.southworthproducts.com