Every day, there are countless upon countless of parcels, boxes, and packages traveling across the world. The technology advances, and the postal services, as well as moving and freight forwarders, are trying to keep up. Nowadays, the biggest fight is between whether your shipping will be fast or cheap. Most of the time, shipping by boat might be the cheapest way to ship internationally – while air is, obviously, faster. However, one thing that connects both of these is the need for safety. All that cargo traveling around needs to be protected, and people working with it need to be safe as well. How do you manage this? What can you do about it? In this article, discover our pick of the five best cargo security tips.
What are our top 5 cargo security tips?
Let’s start with just examining our best advice for you. The important thing to note is that, even though the technology is always improving, people are the ones who handle cargo at the end of the day. So, we can aim towards perfection, but human errors can – and do – occur from time to time. What our goal needs to be is to improve the service we offer to clients, whether it is shipping fragile items or heavy furniture. So, you should train your workers on workplace safety, as well as share the knowledge you have about cargo shipping. Also, think about these:
- Protective equipment will boost cargo security by a huge margin.
- Use the right lifting equipment.
- Make sure the cargo is secure.
- Visibility is very important when talking about safety.
- Know the chain of commands.
Protective equipment does save lives!
There is a reason why so many people insist on always carrying protective equipment with you. Not only will it boost cargo security, but it can be a lifesaver in some serious accidents! Make sure all your workers have safety harnesses and helmets, as well as safety shoes with them at all times. If there is any extra equipment that you have, be sure to use it too. This is especially true when you want to ship moving containers overseas – where it might take a lot of time to reach a port.
You should also consider holding a training to get your employees familiar with the safety equipment. Otherwise, they might end up not knowing how to correctly use it. This can also be a great opportunity to optimize the use of said equipment. Finally, its maintenance is of utmost importance. Make sure everyone knows how to keep these items clean and that they also check them for damages before using them.
Use the right equipment to lift the containers
Let’s face it, lifting heavy containers is not easy. If you ever had to rent shipping containers, then you already know this. Even if you didn’t, just the meer size of them can tell you a lot about working with them. This is why it’s very important for cargo security that you have proper lifting equipment with you. Wire ropes and slings, hooks, forklifts and cranes – all of these need to be on hand and in perfect working order at all times.
The same applies here as it did to the safety equipment. Your employees need to be able to use them. They also need to be maintained very well, and to pass an inspection before use. What’s more, there need to be rules and regulations tied to them, so that only trusted people can operate these machines. Finally, make sure everyone knows exactly how everything works – just attaching stuff randomly is not enough! This can and is very dangerous, and compromises cargo security as well!
Securing the cargo
Another thing that goes hand in hand with using the proper equipment is securing the cargo well. Even though this whole article is about cargo security, making sure that you place cargo in the right storage area is very important. So, have people check whether there are loose items in the storage – and correct this if there are.
Remember that this applies even to the cargo that’s not in the containers. Whether you are using moving services to deliver them or doing it by yourself, and you don’t get items in a container, you should have designated area where these can be stores safely too!
Make sure everything is visible
One of the key components of cargo safety is the visibility of all shipping containers. If you or your professional relocation company Saudi Arabia feel that the weather conditions are affecting the visibility, then you should probably reschedule your work for a later date. Similarly, when working in an enclosed space, you need to make sure there is enough light to see and move around. However, this light should not be too bright to blind you – it needs to be at an optimal level.
The chain of command
Finally, the last thing that will boost cargo security is the chain of command in your company. First, you need to divide people into different sectors. Here, they can learn about their line of work and how to do it correctly. What’s more, they can gather experience about it, only becoming better and better at their job the longer they work with you. Then, you need to place a responsible person in charge of each of your departments. They should be the ones with the most experience. These are the people who can notice any trouble before it even happens, and thus be able to stop it.
