Health and safety during the storage process

Health and safety tips for Shurgard Self Storage customers

When you’re storing at Shurgard, your safety is key. That’s why we’ve listed up these helpful tips to keep you safe during every step of the storage process.

Wear suitable clothes and shoes

It may not be the first thing that crosses your mind when it comes to safety advice, but one thing you should keep in mind is that wearing the wrong type of clothes - and especially shoes - can lead to accidents during your storage process.

So avoid loose or baggy clothes that may easily get hooked onto something and wear a closed pair of shoes that will provide a good grip and support. Stay away from flip flops, high heels and sandals!

Wrap sharp objects

Carefully wrap your knives in bubble wrap and use tape to keep the material in place to make sure you don’t accidently injure yourself when packing or unpacking. Same goes for gardening tools and sharp kitchen items such as forks and scissors.

Don’t overload your boxes

Make sure not to overload your moving boxes when you pack. Cardboard boxes can hold a certain amount of weight, and exceeding that can lead to strain or injury on your back, knees, and other joints. So always use large boxes for light items and smaller boxes for heavier items.

Lift properly

Be careful when you lift your boxes to prevent back injuries and follow the fundamentals of heavy lifting, such as keeping your spine alignment as neutral as possible. When lifting heavy loads off the ground, bend at your knees - not your waist.

Another golden rule: don’t carry more than you can safely handle or make sure nothing is blocking your view.

Take it slow

Once you have arrived at our storage location, drive slowly. The speed limit inside the building is 10 km/h. Remember to pay attention around corners and when reversing. And when you park your vehicle, always make sure that the handbrake is fully on.

Use the right equipment

To transport your items to your storage unit, you can make use of our free trolleys. If your unit isn’t on the ground floor, use one of our lifts.

Make sure your load is stable

When you load your trolley, make sure that the weight is evenly distributed. The more stable your trolley, the easier it is to steer!

Step back from the lift

If you’re waiting for the lift, stand away from the doors to allow other customers to get out.

Create a stable base for stacking

When stacking your boxes in your storage unit, place the larger, heavier boxes on the bottom to provide a stable base and lighter boxes as you move up. Make sure not to stack higher than you can comfortably reach.

Keep a clear path

You may want to consider leaving some access space in front of your unit and keeping your frequently used items where you can easily reach them.

Don’t rush in winter weather

If you happen to move into your storage unit on one of those rainy or snowy winter days, don’t rush. Driving and walking in winter can sometimes be treacherous, so do everything slowly and gently.

Wear suitable shoes and tread carefully when moving your stuff around.

Speak up

Finally, if you have any questions, if you are in doubt about any safety issues in the building, or if you would ever notice something damaged, simply speak up to our store team. We’re there to help you out!