Refurbishment - Millennium Storage and Interiors Blog

Category: Refurbishment (page 1 of 2)

5 Critical Pallet Rack Safety Hazards

Physical damage to the pallet rack

Often this damage occurs from lift truck collisions. Sufficient clearance space and clear aisles are both great ways to prevent this kind of damage. Always encourage employees to promptly report all minor impacts or observable damage.

Misaligned Racking Safety Hazard

This can cause collapse or failure of your pallet racking system. During inspection, use the manufacturer’s instructions to check that racks are properly aligned, plum, and level.

Loose Floor Fittings

OSHA is clear that rack columns are bottom-anchored to the floor with column base plates secured with anchor bolts.

Suitability of forklift truck

Your material handling equipment and pallet jacks should be sized to meet your needs.

Weight of stored goods versus capacity of racking system

To prevent dangerously overloaded racks, ANSI/RMI MH16.1 suggests posting the maximum permissible unit load, average unit load, and maximum total load per bay.

In the end, whether your racks are damaged, overloaded, improperly anchored or misaligned, they’re a serious safety hazard that can result in serious injury. OSHA recommends warehouse managers develop a thorough maintenance and inspection program. Be liberal with safety audits that include everything from pallet rack signage all the way up your material handling equipment.

The UK: Coolest Offices

May 15, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

Looks are never everything, but when it comes to the office you spend most of your time in, a work environment that is fun, easy on the eye and inspiring can make a huge difference to how you perform on a daily basis.

Take a look at a few of the trendiest offices we’ve got in the UK right now…

ASOS

The Office: ASOS’ headquarters in Camden are located in a former tobacco factory, with an art deco vibe that means natural light, modern furnishings, and funky, patterned wallpaper.

The Engine Group

The Office: Circular, spinning seating pods—like something you might see on a futuristic spaceship—and translucent acrylic display screens make this London office techy and cool.

Frank PR

The Office: This London office has a rotating fairground ride, a la an amusement park! Who wouldn’t want a spin—bad pun intended—at this office, which seems to value playing as much as it does hard work.

Millennium’s solutions are cost-effective and planned to the highest standards. The company’s strength is to understand fully client business and match it to their requirements.

If you have any questions or enquiries for us at Millennium Storage and Interiors, please get in touch using the contact details here.

How to design a disability-friendly office

February 17, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

An all-inclusive, disability-friendly office design creates a safer, more comfortable and welcoming work environment for all, including disabled employees and visitors to your business.

By law, all businesses should provide an all-inclusive workspace that facilitates a safe and comfortable work environment for all employees, including disabled individuals.

As well as looking after employees by helping them to feel more valued and comfortable, a disability-friendly office design attracts a more diverse workforce and a wider pool of candidates, helping your business to attract more top talent.

Whilst some disabled employees may require specialist equipment, most disabled employees’ requirements can be met by simply taking accessibility into consideration when designing your office.

Here are some key features of inclusive, disability-friendly office design.

Accessible sockets
Adjustable desks
Cable management
Low lever door handles
Low flat panel light switches
Wide doorways and hallways
Task lighting
Quiet workspaces
Computer monitor arms
Large-print equipment controls
Use of ramps instead of stairs where suitable
Climate control

Whilst these design features are all disability-friendly, many of them will make your office a safer and more comfortable workspace for everyone.

Space should be a key consideration when designing a disability-friendly workspace, ensuring that there is always enough room for a wheelchair to manoeuvre.

All trip hazards and obstructions should be removed and tidied away, especially trailing wires and cables. Cable management systems are effective for keeping cables neat and safe.

Inclusive office design by Millennium Storage

Here at Millennium Storage and Interiors we provide office refurbishments and new builds to businesses of all different shapes and sizes. We design practical and inspiring office spaces that find the perfect balance between aesthetics and functionality.

Our designs are practical for all employees, with accessibility and inclusivity always a key consideration in our design process.

For help or advice with designing a disability-friendly office, or to book a free consultation with our team, give us a call on 01942 603 344.

Office design trends for 2020

January 15, 2020 / admin / 0 Comments

The dawn of the new decade is a good time to give your outdated office interior a makeover.

Here at Millennium Storage and Interiors we expect 2020 to see the rise of eco-friendly, multi-functional office interiors.

Offices are no longer sterile white environments, instead, businesses are seeking sustainable and environmentally-conscious designs that prioritise employee wellbeing as well as productivity.

Here are our top four office design trend predictions for 2020.

Environmentally friendly

Businesses are becoming more conscious about the environmental impact of the materials and products used in their office interiors. In 2020, we expect to see a surge in businesses requesting office interiors that incorporate recyclable and natural materials and practical and cost-effective energy-efficient products and designs.

Privacy

Open plan offices have had their day, and in 2020 we’re expecting to see more businesses embracing office interiors that offer employees quiet and private spaces to work in. Over recent years, numerous studies have found that open plan offices can have a negative effect on both employee productivity and wellbeing as they tend to create a lot of noise and can be very distracting and stressful. Office partitioning, pods, and booths are all expected to make a comeback this year.

Collaborative spaces

Whilst employees often perform better and feel more relaxed when given their own private space to work in, collaborative workspaces that encourage communication and idea sharing are also very important in the workplace. Formal meeting rooms, cosy huddle rooms, and trendy break-out spaces all allow employees the space they need to share ideas, inspire each other, and interact socially when they need it.

Bold colours

In 2020 we’re expecting to see more businesses opting for bold and clashing colours to create daring and contemporary interiors.

For help or advice regarding your office design, speak to our team of experts here at Millennium Storage and Interiors about our office refurbishment services by giving our team a call on 01942 603 344.

3 Reasons to Revamp Your Office In 2019

January 10, 2019 / admin / 0 Comments

After waving goodbye to 2018 it is time to focus on what 2019 has in store including any changes that might be needed to your office space. Here are our top 3 reasons to revamp your office in 2019.

Bring some positivity
Not everyone starts the year on a positive note. The often dark gloomy days of January leave staff with nothing much to look forward to. Throw in a month of struggle after the excesses of the Christmas and News Year break and you have a recipe for poor morale and people with one eye on a career move. An office makeover can take away some of this feeling of repetition and help create a more dynamic environment that will hopefully inspire staff.

Improve productivity
A well organised and inviting office space can do wonders for productivity levels. Studies have even shown this to be the case. If staff are unhappy with their work environment they won’t be as productive. Ensuring there is plenty of natural light and work spaces are open is particularly important as is ensuring those who prefer peace and quiet aren’t bothered by noise and chatter.

It will demonstrate progress
If your business isn’t moving forward it can often start going backwards. A makeover will project success and give the impression to customers that your business is going places.

There Is More Than One Type Of Office Partition

September 26, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

Office partitions allow you make the most of your office space as well as reorganise and create new workspaces. It is, however, essential to consider which office partition will work best in your particular environment. Here are some of the merits of each type…

Solid Partitions
As the name suggests these are more permanent partitions. These are most suited to office spaces where confidentiality is important. Solid partitions can always be mixed and matched with glass partitions to brighten things up.

Glass Partitions
Glass partitions are great for smaller offices where you want clutter kept to a minimum. They also create brighter more collaborative workspaces which tend to keep staff happier in comparison to solid walls which can create unnecessary barriers in some offices.

Demountable Partitions
These are highly flexible and easy to move around if your office space is more fluid. With many old town centre buildings being transformed into enterprise hubs and business incubators, demountable partitions can provide a way to create separation between work spaces and allow plenty of scope to change layouts at the same time.

For more information or guidance on installing office partitions give us a call today or look through the range of services we provide.

Is It Time You Had An Office Refurb?

May 5, 2018 / admin / 0 Comments

In business you’re either growing or you’re shrinking so it’s important to always be moving forward and that includes the design of your office.

Taking care of the office, however, often ends up low on the priority list during busy periods or when a lot of effort is being put into growing a business. Yet appearances should never be ignored and your office will provide prospective clients and customers with their first impression of your business when they walk through the door.

If your office is looking a bit tired and dated, then refurbishing your office can freshen things up and inspire confidence. It is often the smaller details that contribute to business growth and a well maintained modern office can create the kind of lasting impression that provides a good return on your investment.

Also with the holidays fast approaching staff are likely to have their minds on their next holiday and if their surroundings are dull and drab this will only hamper productivity. So there you have it. Refurbishing that tired old office might actually pay for itself with all the benefits it provides.

If you would like to find out more about our office refurbishment services, give us a call today.

Why Sound Acoustics Is Vital to Office Design

October 20, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

Offices come in all sorts of layouts from sleek open plan, to period offices in city centres.

The challenge in both cases is to find a solution that not only creates a sense of space but also provides privacy and a quiet place to work for those employees who need it. So when designing an office layout, a delicate balancing act needs to be struck to ensure that everyone in the workplace will be happy.

Unlike visual distractions, which can simply be screened off or hidden by a simple re-arrangement of furniture and screens. Unfortunately, good acoustics will require a more complicated solution to reduce noise from phones, chatter and colleagues moving from one place to another.

All of this can become very frustrating for those who require peace and quiet to do their best work, which will in turn hinder productivity.

While the modern trend continues to lean towards the open plan spaces which have been seen as the best way to develop cooperation and creativity since the 1950s.

To improve acoustics in your office requires knowledge of how sound impacts on different surfaces and how it is absorbed by others.

This starts with the introduction of carpets, acoustic panels and acoustic screens which can help reduce noise dramatically. Then create separate spaces for collaborative work so as not to disturb those staff members who prefer to work in quiet isolation from time to time.

Is Office Design and Layout Male Biased?

June 23, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

The writer of an article in the FT this month seems to think so. The article Time to end male bias in office design highlights how male dominated design teams may not consider the needs of women when they plan out office interiors.

The issues raised include temperature setting inside being geared towards males of a particular size and age and even refilling paper trays. The former is the reason why a large number of women will report feeling cold at work.

Women generate 35% less body heat in relative terms than their male counterparts. This means that women require temperatures to be turned up 3 degrees centigrade higher than their male colleagues.

Having a female-friendly work environment may not be top of the agenda for certain business owners however ignoring the little things like heating may lead to disgruntled staff members which could harm performance which is not in the interests of businesses.

Even when it comes to something as simple as filling a paper tray, it seems women are often ignored as to what they can comfortably cop with. Hand grip strength is required to pull trays out of printers and here too men are likely to have the advantage with men consistently outperforming women in this area.

The only hope for women is to be included more in office design teams so that these kinds of problems don’t get overlooked or ignored.

Home Office Tips

June 7, 2016 / admin / 0 Comments

According to a recent survey by the Office for National Statistics, 13.7% of the nation’s workforce work from home. That’s nearly 4 million people but how many of those individuals have an office fitted to meet their needs?

Quite often working from home means using one of the main leaving spaces such as the kitchen lounge or even the bedroom. The problem is, this can be quite uncomfortable and distracting if a person is sharing a house with family members.

This is unavoidable if the house is too small to be separated into dedicated work and living spaces, but if there is extra space then this can easily be turned into an office. It will even save money on office rental which can then be ploughed back into business growth.
Solutions include converting old stables into offices, garden rooms if the garden is big enough.

The best home offices make creative use of space which provides a clear separation from home life.  It is much better to have a small space dedicated to work than have your office incorporated into a part of a dining room or kitchen for example.

At least then you will have some kind of separation from home life. Also get yourself a dedicated office line rather than use your main house number. Constant calls from sales people can make life particularly uncomfortable when you may be relaxing after work!