EUMOS – Exploring the standards and protocols which support pallet stability and safety.
Global expertise and guidelines inform on how to ensure safe, stable loads during transit
Around the world, in every sector and every process, internationally agreed standards ensure safety for the public and consistency and efficiency for businesses.
For the packaging sector, EUMOS standards guide the safe loading and movement of goods in transit.
What is EUMOS?
EUMOS is the European Safe Logistics Association. It works to improve the safe movement of goods and cargo in transport and logistics, with the objective of reducing road deaths.
By sharing expertise to improve and maintain standards of cargo safety, EUMOS and its members are reducing fatalities on the roads.
This work supports a goal set by the European Commission to reduce the number of road accident-related fatalities to zero by 2050. EUMOS’s work is primarily focused on improving safety.
What does EUMOS’s work mean for my business?
Primarily, EUMOS ensures businesses can operate safely, protecting their teams, customers and the wider public.
While EUMOS is devoted to safety, it delivers wider benefits for businesses, too as well as benefits which extend beyond just its immediate users or members.
Firstly, by identifying and standardising the safest way to transport goods, it reduces the risk of goods dislodging during transit, which can cause accidents and deaths on the roads. This also reduces costs and creates efficiencies for businesses by reducing the volume of goods damaged during transit – thought to be at around 4% of all goods moved.
Do EUMOS standards apply to my goods?
EUMOS has standards guiding every part of the logistics supply chain. Of these multiple standards, EUMOS 40509 guides the work of the packaging sector. This standard sets a test method for load unit rigidity – advising on the test method to evaluate the rigidity, or stability, of a load unit during transit,
What is EUMOS 40509?
EUMOS 40509 sets a protocol for testing, loading and securing palletised goods. The standard ensures the rigidity and safety of a load during transportation by outlining the correct tolerances for goods while moving.
Correctly configured loads remain stable during transit, significantly reducing the risk of becoming damaged or dislodged, which can cause physical or environmental hazards if products are shed or spilt.
The benefits of EUMOS 40509 extend beyond safety, as the testing protocol allows businesses to apply just the right amount of packaging to goods, reducing unnecessary waste to create environmental benefits. It also reduces the risk of goods being dislodged or damaged, which would likely require costly and energy-intensive replacements.
Is MorsaPack a member of EUMOS?
Yes. MorsaPack is a supporting member of EUMOS.
Using testing facilities, MorsaPack can test the stability of a pallet during acceleration and deceleration, testing the pallet’s ability to withstand forces. EUMOS 40509 dictates that a pallet should not move by more than 10% of its height during transit.
MorsaPack also has facility to apply this testing at customers’ own facilities, to test multiple pallets and, later, apply the findings across multiple pallet wrap machines. Using this protocol and information, MorsaPack can advise on wrap film types, wrap patterns and volumes required to deliver optimum pallet stability.
MorsaPack also equip customers with information to pass on to their supply chains, to ensure all those involved understand their responsibilities in safely loading and moving goods.
What are the benefits of working with a EUMOS member?
Working with a EUMOS member assures businesses of adhering to the highest standards. It also allows businesses to receive documentation certifying that pallets have been tested and loaded to EUMOS standards.
MorsaPack’s view
Robert McEwan, Managing Director, commented: “EUMOS’s work supports businesses to standardise their operations and make informed decisions.
“As members we use its protocols to advise customers on the optimum types, configurations and tolerances for packaging goods for transit.
“EUMOS puts the focus on safety, which is extremely important, but it also puts a focus on the environmental side of moving goods because it allows businesses to use the optimum amount of packaging to ensure stability – neither too little, nor too much.
“Understandably, without adequate information, some businesses overcompensate in their use of packaging to secure goods for transit.
“For example, we supported a customer who’d previously experienced a spillage during transit. In a bid to prevent the same thing from happening again, they changed their load configurations to reduce the volume of products being moved, while also increasing the amount of wrapping and strapping used to secure goods.
“Although there were no more spillages, this was unnecessary resource usage and wastage.
“Using EUMOS testing protocol we were able to advise on the optimum volume of products and packaging to apply – going from six straps to just two, and an improved functionality stretch film. This created efficiencies for their packaging usage and transportation costs, without compromising on safety. These are the safety, environmental and financial benefits of working with a member of EUMOS.”
To learn more about EUMOS and its impact and influence over cargo transportation and the packaging sector, watch our videos.
