How to improve warehouse safety

By law, The Workplace Regulations 1992 addressing health, safety and welfare makes all employers responsible for the safety of their workplace and employees. That means all employers have a duty to implement and maintain warehouse safety measurements, from the building itself to workplace procedures. Unfortunately, in a busy warehouse, it can be easy to let certain practices slip or lose sight of warehouse safety. Why you need to make warehouse safety a priority As well as being a legal requirement there are other reasons warehouse safety should be a priority for employers, first and foremost being employee wellbeing. Without the right safety measures in place employees can injure themselves at work, whether it’s due to an accident with heavy machinery or through fatigue and burn-out. Of course, poor safety can also be extremely costly to a business. This includes time off sick and statutory sick pay for injured employees as well as potential damages to the warehouse itself. Accidents usually take up a lot of time, from paperwork to even shutting down a section of the warehouse. These timely consequences are also costly to a business. How to make a safer warehouse You should already have defined and formally written safety measures for the entire warehouse including training for new employees and guidance for using equipment, but a busy warehouse can quickly let these practices slip. To help you improve warehouse safety and keep on top of best practices, here are some of our top tips for making a safer warehouse. Ensure safe vehicle and equipment operation This is especially important for forklifts which are involved in around 95,000 injuries and 100 deaths every year. To prevent accidents involving vehicles and other heavy equipment around the warehouse, make sure only certified workers use them and follow strict guidelines. You should ensure there is a strict disciplinary procedure if an employee is found to be misusing equipment. For further protection you should make sure you equip racking, columns and dock areas with bumpers to minimise the damage to the forklift, employees and the warehouse itself. When it comes to the vehicles themselves, make sure to maintain them in accordance with manufacturers recommendations.

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