Health and safety issues are increased by warehousing work activities. If you don't manage them, your warehouse can experience a high staff turnover rate, underperforming employees, illnesses and injuries that result in lost workdays.
You have a duty under the law to put safety measures into place and keep them up to date as an employer, supervisor, or manager.
Workers must be protected from warehouse dangers by safety measures, and tasks must be completed safely.
1. Vehicle Safety
Vehicle safety is crucial to avoiding crush or impact injuries for your employees, whether they operate lift trucks or forklifts. A moving vehicle's impact caused 25 fatalities in 2020–2021. Additionally, when reversing, a driver accounts for about a quarter of all fatal car accidents at work.
You must only allow employees to operate your commercial vehicles after they have completed practical training in order to preserve vehicle safety. Operating a forklift is not recommended for anyone under the age of 18.
A sign should be placed up to warn employees to stay below the speed limit. Forklift drivers are not allowed to go faster than 5 mph.
Wherever feasible, make sure employees don't reverse. So that drivers can always see where they are going, set up a one-way system and organize your routes. If drivers must reverse, ensure they have a spotter or other visibility aids available.
2. Lifting
Warehouse employees may engage in both manual and mechanically aided lifting tasks, both of which offer a high risk of injury if not carried out carefully. To avoid musculoskeletal conditions and the dangers of using faulty equipment, you must put in place the proper control measures.
Provide staff with manual handling safety training. They must be aware of their manual handling weight restrictions (20–25 kg is heavy for the majority of people) and how to employ the right handling techniques to reduce strain.
Purchase electric pallet truck for sale at Adaptalift Group to minimize the need for manual handling. Chains used improperly may experience metal fatigue, bend, or rust in the links. Chains should be maintained in a dry location, checked frequently for problems, and shielded from traffic.
3. Fire Safety
Since warehouses have a lot of open area and kindling, fire can spread very quickly. Fires not only ruin your warehouse and hurt people, but they also waste precious resources and production time. In reality, after a significant fire, many firms never fully recover.
You may test your escape routes in action using drills. Staff members should be able to show that they are aware of where the assembly area and fire exits are located.
Smoke alarms should preferably be checked monthly, while fire alarms should be tested weekly. Regularly inspect additional equipment as well, such as sprinklers and fire extinguishers.
Conclusion
Most crucial, teach among employees the need of reporting hazards to you or another senior staff member right away. You can respond quickly to reports in order to address problems and maintain the security of your warehouse.
