Reaching new heights: Safely & efficiently placing desiccants

Q: What do you get if you put a container, a short person, and a hanging desiccant together?
A:  An overly stretched installation procedure.

Whether hanging vertically or lying horizontally, installing desiccants in a container should be safe and easy. But you guessed it, the seemingly simple act of reaching high-lashing rings to attach hanging desiccants without the proper equipment can be time-consuming and even result in injuries. So, hang on! (Pun intended) because in this blog post, we’ll delve into standard installation methods the risks involved, and provide practical advice to enhance safety.

How are desiccants usually installed inside a container?

You know as well as we do that desiccants are crucial for reducing humidity inside containers and can be installed in various ways. You’ve got your verticals or horizontals; the latter are attached to a container’s lashing rings, and the former sit atop cargo like a pallet. But unless you’re 2 m high, reaching those lashing rings will be tough.

Challenging – by no stretch of the imagination!

Picture this: you’re trying to reach a lashing ring that hangs around 2.3 m. That’s a stretch! You’re looking at a ring that hangs about 2.6 m in a high cube container. So, to attach a hanging desiccant, most people will have to stretch, use a ladder, or, in the worst-case scenario, climb onto the cargo. That’s time-consuming and increases the risk of over-stretching, which could result in injury. However, the good news is there are more innovative ways to reduce the risk of overstretching and potential injuries.

Making desiccant installation safer: What are the options?

Having the right equipment on hand is the key to averting an injury from over-stretching and getting those desiccants in place safely and quickly. Absortech has quite a few handy little gadgets; take the AbsorStick™, which can be connected to various desiccants and reused. If you connect two AbsorStick’s™, you can increase the length, which is crucial when working in high cube containers. There’s also the AbsorStick™ Smart, a stick specially designed to be light and easy to use and will reach lashings in high cube containers with no problem.

Conclusion

Isn’t it always the seemingly simple tasks that sometimes pose the most significant challenge? Installing desiccants in shipping containers is an exercise in ensuring safety and efficiency. While the process might appear straightforward, it can be potentially time-consuming and present ergonomic challenges that, if not addressed, can lead to work-related injuries.

We hope you can all hang on (oops, did that pun again!) to the information we’ve given you here and utilize the appropriate tools and accessories to ensure the process is effective and safe for everyone involved.