Step 1 – Clean and organise receiving bay

One of the first things that should be considered when receiving and processing incoming goods is that the receiving bay or loading dock is well organised and clean.

It is important that this area remains clean and well organised. This makes the process easier and also will prevent accidents and potential theft.

The receiving bay of a retail store will vary depending on the store’s size and location. Larger stores will have a receiving bay where all goods are delivered to.

Question

Identify four hazards that exist in a receiving bay

Hazards in the receiving bay

• tripping over stock or slipping on spills

• cutting themselves on packaging materials or cutting tools

• being hit by forklifts, trolleys, etc

• being exposed to hazardous material

• being injured by goods falling from shelves

• falling off the edge of the loading bay

• jamming fingers under packages

Activities

Copy and complete the following table by explaining how to avoid each accident.

Accident How to avoidStock falling on employees from shelves

Employee falling on spill

Employee being hit by forklift

Employee jamming fingers under package

Employee cutting self with knife while opening a packaging

Employee being exposed to hazardous material

Accidents

Watch the two YouTube clips on accidents in the warehouse.

1. What procedure should each person have followed?

Question

Look at the following pictures of receiving bays. Some are clean and well organised, others not so.

For each one, list a good/bad thing you see.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/88/Pallet_racks.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/52/Warehouse_md17.jpg

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Automatisches_Kleinteilelager.jpg

Procedures

In order to have a well organised and clean receiving bay, free of hazards; a variety of procedures should be followed. These include:• every good or piece of equipment should have

a place and is this where they should be stored

• walkways should be clear and clutter free• goods should be processed as soon as possible

• staff should perform regularly housekeeping, this ensures goods aren’t soiled and therefore unable to be sold

• policies and procedures should be followed in terms of storage, such as how high to store things and where to store them

• appropriate signage to inform staff• an efficient system of waste disposal

Security in the receiving bay

Theft is also an issue in the receiving bay and as such there should be security measures in place. These include:• Restricting access to the area for staff,

customers and suppliers• Keeping the area locked• Using surveillance cameras • Disposing of all cartons and packages

Questions

1. List the equipment that could be used in the receiving bay

2. Find three signs that could be placed around the receiving bay

New Technologies

As with any other area of the retail store, new technologies are emerging to make the receiving bay a more organised place.

These include:

RFID

Radio-frequency identification (RFID) uses wireless technology to transfer data from an electronic tag attached to a product to a reader for the purpose of identifying and tracking the object.

This would allow employees to know the exact location of all stock. This would make the picking of stock easier.

Conveyer belts

Some stores will also use conveyor belts to move their stock from one place to another. This will mean manual handling accidents are reduced.

Robotic technology

Some larger stores with massive warehouses are now using robotic technology.

The robots are told where products is located and where they need to go. They locate the product, slide beneath the stack to pick it up and then take the product back to the packing area.

Watch the third YouTube clip about each the use of these orange robots

New technology

Explain the following new technologies and their benefits