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As a rule of thumb, logistics is the planned and detailed organization of any business operation that manages the flow of elements between a starting point – their origin – and the endpoint of consumption. Logistics is designed to reduce time loss and save money to the company while ensuring that customers, B2B or B2C, remain satisfied.
However, due to the nature of the work, logistics can serve multiple purposes. Complex organization and its implementation toward consumer-facing delivery are the primary functions of business logistics. But scheduled logistics can also help keep your team safe in the long term. Indeed, a company trying to manage health and safety policies and risks related to all work operations would need to improve its logistics strategy. Here is how logistics can be a crucial factor in saving lives and avoiding work-related or business-caused injuries.
Continually improving to reduce mistakes
It is fair to say that while logistics services aim to eliminate errors that cost time and money, it is a constantly evolving process. The introduction of new machinery or extended services could lead to potential issues that logistics planning had not foreseen. But, it is precisely where logistics can make a difference. The logistics manager needs to record mistakes and problems and learn from these. In other words, just because a logistics strategy is not flawless at first, it is part of a constant improvement movement. By embarrassing further learning through mishaps and errors, and introducing room for experimentation and best practice trials, logistics can make business operations smooth and frictionless for all. The process of dissecting mistakes is time-demanding, but it can ensure the safety of individuals on-site.
Keep your team schedules organized
Good logistics services ensure complex operations can be delivered quickly, efficiently, and safely. As such, a logistics manager needs to set time and space for each process in the organization in the right order. Without adequate planning, the risk of overworked individuals in the delivery system can increase dramatically. More often than not, accidents happen when your staff is stretched out through fast delivery and operation planning, as revealed by countless truck accident legal cases. Organized schedules that provide enough rest time for employees can maximize team safety.
Work hand-in-hand with maintenance schedule
While logistics services don’t actively organize maintenance checks and repairs, the role of a logistics planner is to gain an overview of all business operations that could affect the delivery or process of goods and services. As a result, keeping track of maintenance appointments throughout the year and repairing needs becomes an essential addition to the logistics schedule. Indeed, staying up to date with vehicle and machinery maintenance schedules is detrimental to avoiding injuries and accidents. However, when logistics services and maintenance operations don’t cooperate effectively, time pressure can lead to skipping essential checks and repairs. Did you know, for example, that the cost of accidents caused by unperformed vehicle maintenance records a whopping $2 billion every single year? Effective logistics make time for quality maintenance in the operation flow.
In conclusion, businesses can deploy a variety of services to keep their employees safe. Structured and strategic logistics planning can provide a template to identity mistakes, keep team work schedule organized, and manage maintenance. Needless to say, good logistics doesn’t replace professional risk assessment audits. But it can complement risk assessment and health & safety regulations.