What You Need To Know About Material Handling Jobs
According to ZipRecruiter, the best Material Handling jobs can pay up to $98,000 per year. That’s a pretty good living. What do material handling jobs entail and how do you qualify? Most material handling jobs are package handlers, warehouse associates, and forklift operators. There is always an opportunity to be promoted as well to a Materials Manager, Forklift Supervisor, Move Coordinator, or Material Handling Supervisor though too.
To qualify for most material handling jobs, you will first need a high school degree or GED certificate. For many of these jobs, you will also need certain licenses and training, particularly if you intend to operate heavy machinery. For example, to become a forklift driver you will need to be OSHA certified, which includes learning how to safely operate manual, automated, or semi-automated equipment. If you are applying to delivery positions, you may need a CDL (Commercial Driver’s License). All material handling positions will require you to be alert, detail-oriented, and committed to safety.
Material handling jobs play integral roles in warehouse environments. Major companies like FedEx, Amazon, and UPS rely heavily on the efficiency and reliability of their employees in material handling. Some main responsibilities of a material handler will include organizing incoming orders on shelves, picking specific customer orders, monitoring inventory, and communicating potential shortages. As you can imagine, this alone is quite a lot to put on your plate but on top of that, material handlers must be extremely committed to safety, especially forklift drivers.
As a forklift driver, you will have your own responsibilities with additional hazards than many other employees. You will have to be aware of overhead obstructions, vehicle maintenance, load restrictions, floor conditions and most importantly pedestrian employees. Every facility is required to meet OSHA safety standards but many of these are passive, and pedestrians are often easily distracted or not as aware as they should be. There may also be blind spots in your warehouse facility that can’t be avoided. How can you avoid all these hazards?
Luckily, that is our business. We provide innovative, smart-trigger technology to turn passive safety equipment into active ALERT systems which easily attract the attention of pedestrians to keep them alert at all times. Our Dome Mirror ALERT has sensors that detect approaching forklift and AGV traffic, turning a passive mirror into an active alarm and is available with an optional flashing LED floor spotlight too. Office ALERT is a 10˝ x 6˝—Small LED display for offices and doorways to warn pedestrians of approaching forklifts before they step into the active Forklift aisle. Most recently, we’ve added a new product, the Line ALERT Floor Lighting & Warning System which projects a virtual line on floors to replace conventional taped or painted lines and can be activated by smart-trigger sensors to flash when a forklift is approaching to warn workers in the area.
ALERT Safety Products is constantly developing new products with innovative technology to keep your material handling employees alert and safe because protecting your employees is our only business. We truly believe that active ALERT Safety Products are the solution to improved workplace safety by turning passive safety products into active alarms. If you have any questions about our products or are looking for forklift safety solutions, please call us at (513) 791-4790, email us info@alertsafetyproducts.com, or check out our website to learn more: https://alertsafetyproducts.com/ .