Your container just arrived at the port. It’s loaded with products that you can’t wait to get into the hands of paying customers. You just need to throw open those doors and start unloading, right?

Not so fast. It’s exciting when your container arrives and the only thing standing between you and a big profit is a few hours of shipping container unloading. It’s important to control your enthusiasm and consult with a labour-hire business offering experienced container unloaders. They will know what to watch out for when opening those container doors.

If you haven’t had the experience of unloading a shipping container yet, perhaps you’re wondering what could possibly be done before the doors open. Maybe you’ve unloaded a few containers already and haven’t encountered any problems. Either way, keep reading to learn what you need to look out for in the future. It could save you thousands of dollars in damaged products and may even spare you an injury or two.

Why Plan for Safe Shipping Container Unloading?
The situation inside your container when the doors are locked tight isn’t always the situation you will find when it’s time for shipping container unloading. Your goods go on a long journey before arriving at the port, and you will never know the impact that journey may have on the boxes loaded into the container. That’s why it’s important to do a little planning rather than just swinging the doors open to see what you find.

The Danger of Opening Your Container
Start by accepting that you don’t know what conditions are within the container. Items often shift during the journey. While some shifting is minor and creates no risk, serious shifting can easily leave heavy boxes or containers in awkward positions. Moving one item could easily cause other items to fall without warning. The crew unloading your packages could end up injured in those situations.

Another risk is that your products are pressed against the door. If you open it too quickly and without preparation, everything could fall out. You risk damaging a lot of products and taking a loss in addition to the risk of serious injury for yourself or members of your crew.

When you work with an experienced labour-hire team in Brisbane, you don’t have to worry as much about these risks. Experienced container unloaders are aware of these risks and will take precautions to limit the danger. You still need a basic understanding of how to safely open your container doors, so we’ll go over a simple process that works with most containers next.

How to Open Your Container Doors Safely
Your plan should allow you to cautiously open the doors in a manner that prevents items from toppling out. The following steps will work to safely open the doors of most containers:

1. Attach a rope or other restraint to the doors. That gives you control of the doors, preventing them from flying open if there are heavy items applying outward pressure from within.
2. Slowly crack the right door open. Look inside to see if there are items against the door or within a short distance. Open it all the way only when it is deemed safe but do so with great caution.
3. Get a closer look inside the container through the opened door. If it’s safe, slowly open the left door to gain full access to the container.
4. Don’t rush into the container. Take the time to look closely at the contents. Determine if the load is still secured in a safe arrangement or if the load has shifted substantially. Note any potentially dangerous situations and plan for safe shipping container unloading.

Create an Unloading Plan
Now that you’ve seen inside the container and are aware of any potentially dangerous situations, you can determine how to unload safely. Some things you may plan include:

• Unloading Order – Do some items need to come out first to prevent shifting or damage to other items? Do you need to work around some items to prevent them from falling, and how can you do that?
• Labour Needs – How many people will you need to unload the container in a reasonable amount of time? Do you have a crew large enough to handle the job, or will you need a labour hire in Brisbane?
• Equipment Needed – What equipment will make the unloading process safer and more efficient? Can you get access to that equipment, and do you have crew members able to operate the equipment safely?
• Potential Risks – What could possibly go wrong with the shipping container unloading process? Make sure every member of your crew is aware of those dangers before entering the container.

Save Time and Lower Risk with Experienced Container Unloaders
Are you just realising now, how much risk is involved when unloading a container? If you don’t want to assume that risk or don’t have the labour and equipment to unload a container safely, it’s time to contact Tough Yakka to inquire about hiring experienced container unloaders.

Our well-trained, experienced container unloading crews are aware of all risks involved with the job. They have opened a wide variety of containers and encountered every situation you could possibly imagine. They work as a team and have a proven process to mitigate danger and prevent product damage and personal injuries.

We know that you’re eager to get your products off the shipping container and onto the next leg of the journey to paying consumers. Our job is to carry out the shipping container unloading process with great care and speed. We adjust the size of our unloading crew to match the number of containers you need unloaded, and we can add crew members as needed for big jobs.

Contact us today to talk about our experienced container unloaders. We’re proud to provide reliable container unloading and labour-hire to all Brisbane businesses and entrepreneurs. Let’s get your container unloaded quickly and safely.