Product Containment Netting on Pallet Drop Gates in Pick Modules Prevents Injuries and Product Damage

A customer that uses Rack Supported Roly® safety gates in its pick modules reached out to us after identifying a potential hazard in their pallet drop areas. Pallets of products were no longer being wrapped, which eliminated the need for employees to remove the wrap for picking.  However, the facility manager noticed that the pallets were often moved by an employee using a lift jack before picking, and was concerned that material could dislodge, bounce over the kick plate and fall down to a lower level. Concerned for risk of product falling to lower levels and striking employees walking below, the facility safety manager reached out to us to help them provide fall protection for the products within the pallet drop area.

The facility manager let us know that the Rack Supported Roly safety gates were very effective, protecting employees from the ledge when the pallet drop area was being loaded. They did not want to change the safety gate operation with a new fall protection solution. Our team suggested adding high strength safety netting system to the ledge gate for product containment in addition to fall protection. The add-on option allows the netting to expand and contract within the safety gate system without impeding upon pallet operations and safety, and prevents items two (2) inches or larger from falling from the elevated pallet drop area.  

We worked with the customer to retrofit the existing Rack Supported Roly mezzanine safety gates with the product containment netting system on the ledge gate. When the area is being loaded with material, the ledge gate is open and the netting compacts into the system, out of the way of operations. After loading is complete, the ledge gate closes and the netting automatically extends from the deck to the top frame of the gate, providing full length coverage on the ledge side.

Product containment netting on the ledge gate in the Rack Supported safety gate design eliminated the risk of both employees and products falling from the elevated pallet drop areas in the facility’s pick modules. Since installing the product containment netting on the Rack Supported Roly gates in one facility, the customer has ordered the same solution to be retrofit onto its freestanding Roly pallet drop gates in another location.