Five tips to keep your warehouse safe

Areas to look at include:

Exercise caution with machinery 

Ensure that all employees understand the potential hazards that a forklift and other warehouse machinery can present.

Moving vehicles need to be carefully managed to control and reduce the likelihood of accidents. The following guidelines should be adhered to: 

• implement a one-way system so that vehicles can maneuver safely.
• separate vehicular and pedestrian access with designated pathways and traffic routes.
• implement fall protection measures when goods are being loaded and unloaded.

Eliminate potential safety hazards

Poor quality floors and slippery surfaces can contribute to many slips and trips in the warehouse. Keep your staff safe by making sure the floor is clear of anything that could be tripped over, make sure cords and wires are never left in walkways and ensure the floor is regularly maintained to prevent surface damage.  

If a spillage occurs, it is really important to clean up any mess right away and put up barriers to prevent people walking over contaminated surfaces. 

Enforce safety regulations

It is not uncommon for warehouses to employ contractors who may not be familiar with the site’s specific health and safety policies. All warehouse staff, including contractors must receive thorough training and supervision specific to their job. This includes working with any machinery such as forklifts and stock cages. They should also familiarise themselves with evacuation procedures in the event of a fire.

As an employer, you are legally obliged to ensure that all warehouse handlers and managers adhere to basic safety regulations such as wearing hard hats, steel-toed boots, safety goggles and heavy gloves, where appropriate. 

Create and maintain proper lighting

The lighting in a warehouse can have a big impact to the productivity and morale of your workforce, and can play a major role on the overall safety of the warehouse.

When a warehouse has high-level racking, visibility and light distribution can suffer. It is therefore imperative that rooms, walkways, staircases, ramps and construction areas are well lit so that workers can carry out their tasks effectively and can see where other people are going.

Protect lone workers

It is not always possible to continuously supervise all workers, particularly in larger warehouses where employees may be required to work in isolated areas, at height or out of usual operation hours. In these situations, it is important to provide effective personal safety measures such as man-down alarms and lone worker protection to give employees a means of communicating with a supervisor or emergency services in the event of a fall or accident.

Carrying a man-down alarm when working alone in a warehouse, out of hours or even in isolated parts of a warehouse without direct supervision can give workers peace of mind and help to prevent accidents spiraling into a more serious incident.

Mathew Colley, LoneAlert.