From a single site to becoming the world’s largest temperature-controlled warehousing and logistics company, Lineage partners with food and beverage companies to help make the cold chain more efficient, sustainable, and reliable, all while feeding the world and eliminating food waste.
Lineage recently completed a large-scale project to upgrade their Traffic Management Controls across multiple sites in New Zealand. With a focus on improving safety, they needed a partner that could guide them through the process of separating people and MHE (material handling equipment), as well as protecting expensive and valuable assets.
We were privileged to work with Lineage on finding the right pedestrian and traffic safety solutions for their sites. Since the project’s completion, we caught up with North Island Health and Safety Manager Ange Blom to get her insights on how it all went.
Q. What was the catalyst for needing to carry out this safety improvement?
A. We have a number of areas in the business with pedestrian and forklift interaction due to the design of the building and how work has changed.
Q. What considerations were on your mind when you were looking for a solution?
A. People/MHE separation, barriers that could handle being struck by MHE in occasional circumstances, a visual cue for people to follow and availability of replacement parts should the need arise.
Q. Why did you choose Vanguard?
A. Industry knowledge and a good reputation. We had previously purchased from Vanguard, and it’s great that they can supply nationwide.
Q. What was your experience of investigating and implementing the Vanguard solution?
A. We contacted Vanguard, and a representative came to site to view our risk areas and provide advice on the right solution. The team were very flexible when it came to making changes and staging the project over multiple phases of improvement.
Q. How has the Vanguard solution changed how people behave on your site?
A. The flexible barriers provide safe passage for workers who previously commuted through live lanes of operation. We’ve been able to reduce that across much of the site, and our workers felt consulted and valued throughout the design and post-implementation process.
Q. What benefits has Lineage experienced thus far from implementing these improvements?
A. Reduced risk of people vs MHE interaction, safe passage for visitors and contractors to view our operation, standardisation across the sites for traffic management.
Q. Do you have any advice for someone in your position facing a similar situation?
A. If possible, get in touch with sites that have implemented similar solutions to learn about what worked and what didn’t. Contact Vanguard to get expert knowledge and a site appraisal.
Q. Is there anything else you’d like to share?
A. Appreciated your team’s swift and regular follow-up and patience as we got organised—good communication across the project. I appreciated having the photos of our site with the product overlaid, which gave me a visual idea of the product installed. The installers were responsive and easy to deal with. Our learning was that we needed to consider certain aspects, such as gates and electrical cabinets being able to open once the barriers are in place.
Need help upgrading traffic management controls and safety in your workplace? Give us a call or fill out the form below so we can gain a better understanding of your situation and recommend the right solutions for your site.
