Last Updated on: 22nd November 2023, 02:45 am
You are required by law to have appropriate safety measures in place in your warehouse. These measures not only protect your business but your employees too. If an accident were to occur, you could face a lawsuit. Don’t risk causing an injury on your premises, these handy tips will ensure your warehouse safety is up to good measure.
Invest in training
Training your staff on how to use machines and equipment could help to reduce the chance of injury. This is even more paramount with mechanical equipment. In the UK alone, each year around 1,300 UK employees are hospitalised due to serious injuries sustained from forklift accidents. To put this into perspective, that’s five employees a day, with injuries including complex fractures, dislocations, deglovings and amputations.
Have quality PPE
As stated in the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992, it is a legal requirement to provide correct personal protective equipment (PPE) to staff where it’s needed. Items will vary depending on the working environment, but typical PPE includes:
- Hard hats
- Hi-vis jackets
- Safety goggles
- Warehouse safety boots, with a steel toe cap
- Overalls
- Safety gloves.
Check the vehicles
Staff should be checking vehicles are suitable to be operated, such as checking the tyres are in good standing (no screws or nails puncturing for example). Whether you have air-filled or solid pneumatic tyres, you will want to ensure they are in a condition to prevent any accidents. Poor quality tyres can even affect the goods being transported, so it pays to check these at the start of every shift.
Use signs and labels
Signs are important in a range of industries, whether it’s to direct traffic or inform people of a wet floor. They’re there to add some form of protection and advise a level of caution. Investing in the correct signs will also help new members of staff learn the dos and don’ts, such as which areas protective glasses are needed and where a mask is required. Signs will also prompt those who have become complacent with the safety guidelines. As a rule, where there is a hazard, there should be a sign.
Keep it clean
A clean environment is a safe one. Spills can cause slips and falls which can trigger more issues, for example, if someone falls into shelving or other people. As soon as there is a spillage it should be cleaned up as soon as possible and if there is a delay, a ‘wet floor’ sign should be placed on the hazard while it’s left unattended.
Have regular talks
While general health and safety regulations are set in stone, some things regularly evolve, such as when you get new equipment and training is required. It’s important to have regular open discussions to ensure guidelines are being followed. Hosting refresher safety training sessions will also be beneficial to everyone in the business to ensure everyone is up to date. Employees can even get a legitimate certification by attending online life saving courses.
To ensure you have a safe warehouse, it doesn’t always require a huge amount of investment. Little steps can make huge differences when it comes to promoting a safe environment.
