September 23, 2020

Mackenzie designs pandemic safety measure for warehouses

Photo courtesy of Mackenzie [enlarge]

Industrial distribution facilities, such as warehouses, have opportunities for increased COVID-19 safety protocols, including additional space and one-way traffic patterns. This photo was taken before the COVID-19 pandemic.

Portland-based integrated design firm Mackenzie said it has worked with several industrial distribution facilities in the Pacific Northwest to add COVID-19 precautionary measures.

An important change is a set screening process and procedure upon arrival due to the number of people who work in these environments, Brett Conway, an associate principal and architect, said in a press release. This often includes limiting the entrance to one rather than multiple, and taking people's temperatures upon arrival. Private exits are also set up for any employee with a high temperature to use, so they do not need to pass back through the entry area where other employees are.

For shared spaces, locker areas are dispersed throughout the facility, and dividing panels are added between groupings for further separation. Lunchroom tables are reduced and spaced out. Contactless solutions on high-touch surfaces, such as automatic faucets and soap dispensers, help prevent germ spreading, Conway said. One-way traffic patterns are implemented to increase physical distancing, a strategy often seen in airport restrooms where people enter and exit in a circular motion.

Among the most complex of changes is accounting for at least 6 feet of space between employees. A change like this requires a partnership with a process engineer to study how each worker completes their tasks, the steps they take and the time it takes to perform those duties, Conway said.

Once that flow among employees is understood, the facility's floor plan is redesigned to account for more space and less contact between employees while still enabling them to do their jobs. One of these changes is expanding the width of hallways to accommodate left-side steering carts — for more space when people pass. Another is adding panels to the assembly line that act as barriers between employees, so as items make their way from the facility to shipping employees do not come into contact with one another.