Can warehouses stop the potential spread of coronavirus?

Everyone has had to adapt to new ways of working during the pandemic, it is rightly pointed out by OEM Automatic and businesses are still tweaking, improving and updating their approach, as they see what works best for them and their customers. 

Some of the changes that are being implemented in order to be COVID-secure include:

• One-way systems to reduce contact between people
• Reducing the number of staff working at the same time
• Dedicated workspaces each with their own cleaning station
• Comprehensive cleaning regimes across the site
• Use of specially designed equipment.

Minimising the risk of infection

Warehouse equipment is often touched by many different people. This, of course, increases the risk of spreading coronavirus or other viruses between members of staff. That means that shared equipment requires regular cleaning and disinfecting with potentially harsh chemical agents.

Some shared electronic equipment such as barcode scanners, though, may not be suitable for a liberal spray of cleaning fluid and a thorough wipe with a cloth. 

COVID-secure barcode scanners 

Datalogic have come up with a range of COVID-secure barcode scanners, notably the HandScanner, which allows the worker to scan freely with the back of the hand and the Gryphon 4200 series, which is very flexible and disinfectant-ready. Both are said to be COVID-secure.

HandScanner has a small footprint and is held on the wrist, which minimises potential virus transmission. “In addition, unlike a ring scanner held on the fingers, the HandScanner is not intrusive, is more resistant, and is not exposed to bumps and knocks. It delivers higher 1D and 2D bar code scanning accuracy. Scanning times are reduced, on average by 4 seconds per scan. And errors are decreased, on average by a third,” it is reported.

“It has good performance and is well able to cover a full working shift. The 2-slot charging station charges the battery fast in only two hours. A charged device can be used for up to 15 hours and 10,000 scans.”

Users have access to a data collection solution when coupling the HandScanner with Datalogic mobile computers, both handheld and vehicle-mounted. There’s a choice of models. The standard HandScanner is made for a closer scanning range of 10-80 cm (3.9 to 31.5 in). The mid-range version covers a wider range of 30-150 cm (11.8 to 59 in) for use in warehouses, plant floors, docks, and stock yards.

GRYPHON 4200 series 

This is a premium range of 1D scanners for general-purpose applications. Described as very flexible barcode readers, they:

• Capture 1D barcodes at different distances
• Read both high-density and low-resolution codes
• Decode hard-to-read, poor and damaged codes
• Decode bar codes from mobile device screens.

The soft line viewfinder makes reading multiple barcode labels easy and the green spot provides good read confirmation directly visible on the code which is ideal both for very noisy or very quiet environments. The 4200 series’ wireless charging capabilities are said to eliminate the need for repairs and maintenance, saving time and costs. It’s fully compatible with the Gryphon 4500 wireless series 2D readers. The new extra small cradle fits readily into small environments 

COVID-secure? Yes, the 4200 series is disinfectant-ready. The casing of the Gryphon 4200 is designed to withstand daily cleaning with harsh chemical agents commonly used in healthcare environments. And its wireless charging capabilities eliminate the need for cleaning charging stations.

Typical applications for the GRYPHON 4200 series include:

• Retail: point of sale (food and non-food)
• Commercial services: postal, banks, public administration, utilities
• Light manufacturing: work in progress, order processing
• Healthcare: laboratories and pharmacies
• Access control: ticketing and entertainment.

More details here