Frozen storage of food, pharmaceutical, and other products is an important industry. Its primary goal is to maintain the quality of these products at a temperature below 32degF.
These storage facilities have specific design requirements. They also have safety concerns.
Loading Dock
The loading dock is an essential part of a cold storage facility, as it is the first point where trucks and other vehicles interact with the warehouse. It is an area where workers can load and unload trucks and other materials from their vehicles in a safe, efficient manner.
Loading dock equipment includes vehicle restraint systems, dock bumpers, dock seals, insulated and weathered shelters, traffic doors, and other devices. These items are all designed to reduce the number of accidents that can occur during loading and unloading.
Inspecting and maintaining loading dock equipment is critical to ensuring the safety of your employees. It can also help ensure that your loading dock meets all federal and state regulatory requirements.
If your facility handles frozen products, the temperature of the truck and trailer should be monitored carefully throughout the process of loading or unloading. This will prevent the trailer from freezing and icing up cong ty lap dat kho lanh tai ha noi, which can lead to damage and spoilage.
Consider installing a wheel chock on the back of each truck that will rest on a dock during loading operations. A wheel chock is a strong wedge that locks into place against the front of the truck’s wheels to prevent it from accidentally rolling away from the dock during loading.
Cold Storage Safety
The freezing temperatures inside a cold storage facility pose numerous safety challenges. Employees are exposed to the risk of frostbite, hypothermia (general cooling of the body), numbness in the hands, feet, and cheeks, and chilblains (circulatory problems).
Ammonia is another significant hazard. This chemical is used in refrigeration equipment and can be fatal when released into confined spaces. Certified face masks are an effective frontline defense against ammonia inhalation.
Drinking plenty of water, taking in adequate calories and carbohydrates, and using designated work breaks to warm up are good practices for avoiding cold stress conditions. However, these aren’t always enough to protect workers from the effects of extreme low temperatures.
In addition, employees should wear protective clothing, such as insulated gloves and jackets. Providing these items to employees can increase their overall safety and productivity in a cold storage facility.
Aside from fire, cold storage facilities also present a unique set of hazards that need to be addressed with proper measures. Frozen foods, processed dairy such as butter and cheese, and food coloring are often combustible, and materials used to ship or store these products can present combustion risks.
NFPA has a full suite of recommendations for addressing fire in cold storage environments. Those guidelines are a great resource for designers, builders, owners, authorities having jurisdiction, and other stakeholders to consider when creating a safe and secure cold storage warehouse or room.
Temperature Control
Frozen foods like ice cream and gelato need to be kept at freezing temperatures to prevent bacteria growth, crystallization, bruising, and loss of flavor. This is the only way to keep them fresh and safe.
Temperature-controlled storage facilities take several measures to maintain the correct temperature for products. These measures can include air conditioning, refrigerated and frozen storage.
Air-conditioned warehouses maintain their environment at temperatures between 56 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit. These temperatures work well for many products, including candy and other room-temperature foods.
Refrigerated warehouses also maintain colder conditions between 33 and 55 degrees Fahrenheit. These conditions work well for many products, including meats, seafood, dairy and other perishable foods.
Cold storage stores can use automation tools to keep track of the temperatures in their facility and trigger alerts when a product gets too hot or too cold. This allows for more consistent quality and reliability while reducing energy costs.
Maintaining accurate records of daily room temperatures is one of the most important things a frozen storage facility does. It helps prevent lapses and gives everyone in the chain access to the data. This information is useful for troubleshooting issues and preventing future problems. It can also help the facility comply with local and federal regulations for cold-chain shipping.
