Stretch Wrap Dispensers and Wrapping Safety

Stretch wrap is thin poly plastic used to contain a load on a pallet and keep it from shifting and being damaged in transit.  It comes in three basic forms - bundling film (less than 10" wide), hand wrap (10" to 30" wide) and machine film (20" wide and up).  This post will focus on how to safely and efficiently use hand wrap.

3" Core Hand Wrap w/no Dispenser

Hazards of Using Hand Wrap
The average pallet is 40" x 48" and can range in height anywhere from a 24" up to 72" or more.  The general rule for wrapping an average pallet is at least three wraps around the bottom, three around the top, and two around the middle.  This means a lot of walking and bending at the waist to wrap one pallet.

Last, many users of hand wrap walk backwards when applying the wrap to their product.  This means that your employees are bending at the waist, reaching over their shoulders, and walking backwards many times during the day.  Not only is this inefficient - it is hazardous.

The Cost of Back Injuries
According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics, back injuries account for over 20% of all workplace injuries.  Back injuries account for more than one-third of every worker's compensation dollars.  The US Department of Labor says that back injuries account for more than 187 million lost work days per year.  OSHA's manual on back disorders and injuries cites the following activities as contributing to the problem:

Extended Core Hand Wrap

• Reaching while lifting
• Poor posture
• Repetitive lifting
• Twisting while lifting
• Bending while lifting
• Maintaining bent postures
• Fatigue

All of these can be found in the typical hand wrap application of stretch wrap.

Stretch Wrap Dispensers and Options
If your demand is not sufficient to warrant a stretch wrap machine, there are options that can make the hand wrapping process much safer and efficient.

Pole Dispensers
These are perhaps the best, most efficient and most ergonomic option available for hand wrap applications, but are also the more expensive.  Pole dispensers range from approx 48" to 60" long and most can accommodate film ranging from 10" wide up to 20".  They typically also have an integrated hand brake that allows the user to apply more stretch as needed.  Pole dispensers allow the user to apply a tight wrap around both the top and bottom of a pallet, all without having to bend at the waist.  They also allow the user to wrap over the top of a product with ease.  And the pole dispenser can allow the user to achieve a tight, secure wrap without having to walk backwards around the pallet, bend at the waist (even for the bottom of the skid) or reach over their shoulder.  They cost between $120 and $160, so are among the more expensive options, but are also the most reliable, flexible and most popular choice of high volume hand wrap users such as distribution centers or logistics centers.

Here are some sample videos of one of the more popular pole dispensers that illustrate how they work, the flexibility they offer, and the improvement in efficiency and ergonomics they provide.  Follow these links for more information on the three leading pole dispensers - Nelson Wrap Dispenser (pictured above), Danahe WrapStik, and the Highlight Pole Wrapper.
 
Hand Wrap Dispensers
These are a more cost-effective option, but still require the user to bend at the waist and perhaps walk backwards.  Their main advantage is that they allow a greater ability to apply a tight stretch to the load as opposed to using no dispenser.  These range in price from approximately $70 to $120 each.

Hand Saver Dispensers
These are by far the least expensive option, but still require bending at the waist and awkward walking.  These dispensers inset in to each end of the 3" core of your hand wrap and allow you to use your fingers to hold the inner ring while the outer ring rotates with the film.  These run as low as $8 - $10 per pair.

Extended Core Hand Wrap
Most hand wrap comes with a 3" core that extends only slightly past the edges of the film.  Extended
core hand wrap comes on a 1" core that extends approximately 5" out each end of the film (like a scroll or a rolling pin), creating built-in handles.  Some extended core products ship with rubber grips that fit over the ends of the extended cores, allowing you to hold the grips while the core rotates inside.  But like the others, this still requires bending at the waist and awkward walking.  Extended core hand wrap film typically comes in 20" and 30" widths and typical maximum length of 1000' (as opposed to 1500' for most 3" core hand wrap).  These vary in cost based upon gauge, film type, and width.