How high-speed doors help keep warehouse workers safe | Rytec

Modern warehouses are a beehive of activity, with people, material handling equipment and loads constantly moving around the facility. The rise of e-commerce during the past few years, coupled with labor shortages and increased customer demands, has created a perfect storm for warehouse operators. Not surprisingly, the accident rate in these facilities has risen well beyond the norm for industrial workplaces.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics 2020 data shows that the warehousing and storage industry’s injury rate of 4.8 per 100 workers is higher than the U.S. average of 2.7 per 100 rate among all private industries. It estimates that 5 out of every 100 warehouse and storage workers will receive serious injuries each year.

Thanks to increased scrutiny by OSHA, warehouse operators are stepping up their worker training programs to help improve safety in these bustling environments. 

One way to help ensure safer operations is to specify high-performance doors for your warehouse. They can help you keep traffic moving safely and efficiently throughout your facility. Here are some of the ways they can help:

Fast open and close speeds: With opening speeds up to 100 inches per second, high-performance doors help keep raw materials and finished products moving efficiently throughout the facility. They also reduce the likelihood of forklift-door impacts, which can cause major bottlenecks in busy warehouse environments.

Quick door repairs: If a collision does occur, a well-designed fabric door doesn’t absorb the force of the impact. Instead, the door panel lifts out of the side column tracks and moves out of the way – without being damaged. This helps to prevent entrapment and decreases the likelihood of operator injury or damage to the forklift’s load.
After an accidental impact, Rytec fabric doors can be quickly restored to normal operation. To reset the door, a worker simply aligns the bottom of the door to the side of the opening where the motor is located. When the door activation button is pressed, the door moves back into its track. It is fully operational within seconds. No tools are necessary.

Most Rytec high-performance fabric doors are made of puncture-resistant, polyester mono-filament fabric. This material is rugged enough to provide a tight door seal yet flexible enough to move out of the way during a collision.

Doorway safety systems: Rytec’s FlexTec® door is equipped with a light curtain detection system. When the light beams are interrupted by an obstruction, the door automatically stops and reverses direction. This reduces the risk of forklift-door collisions.

Rytec’s intuitive and customizable Pathwatch® and Pathwatch® II Safety Light Systems provide an advanced warning to forklift drivers and pedestrians in or near the doorway. Their warning light strips and bright LED stripes are designed to be highly visible from many angles or directions of travel. That makes them ideal for busy warehouse environments.

Remote door monitoring: With Rytec Connect®, facility managers can manage their Rytec warehouse doors remotely. System operators can receive preventive alerts and view live
maps of all connected doors via an app or web portal. This simple system can help managers stay alert to unexpected issues and increase the productivity of the warehouse operation.

• Using Rytec Connect, facility managers can:
• Open or close doors from anywhere
• Map multiple doors to easily set routes and priorities
• Proactively initiate preventive maintenance and service schedules
• Have Rytec technical support monitor doors remotely in real time during a service call

Increase the efficiency and safety of your warehouse with high-performance doors.
Contact us today to discuss your needs.

Learn more about Rytec High-Performance doors for warehousing here.