Warehouses can be dangerous places. Speed and efficiency are vital, which means moving vehicles, heavy foot traffic and goods flowing in and out.
Your warehouse employees can easily fall victim to injuries. Practicing safe habits and knowing what dangers to avoid will keep your employees out of harm’s way and your warehouse safe.
Keeping workers safe
Your goal as the business owner is to provide a workplace free of injuries and accidents.
The first step is to set a minimum safety standard for all practices and operations. By setting clear minimum safety standards, you are actively working toward preventing injuries and illnesses and reinforcing that safety is the priority.
Employees should always be aware of their surroundings. Train them on safety during onboarding and periodically after that to remind them of the safe practices they learned upon hiring.
Warehouse supervisors and managers should ensure safety procedures are posted clearly near equipment and hazardous areas. These postings provide visual reminders of the dangers associated with workers’ jobs and the safety precautions they should take to avoid injury.
Hazards
Warehouses are full of hazards, some more obvious than others. Awareness of common hazards helps keep employees safe and prevent damage to products.
Warehouse hazards that need particular attention are:
- Slips, trips and falls: Wet floors, oily spills, ice, mud, clutter and poor visibility all contribute to slipping hazards. An employee can also fall if they climb a rack or get on a forklift to retrieve a product. Provide employees with fall protection whenever they are working more than 4 feet off the ground.
- Forklifts: Employees are severely injured or killed every year while operating forklifts. Turnovers account for a high percentage of the fatalities.
- Loading docks: A person can get injured if a forklift runs off a dock. They can also get hit by falling objects or moving equipment.
- Conveyors: Workers can get caught in pinch points or hit by falling products. They can also sustain injuries from using repetitive motions.
Equipment hazards
Heavy equipment such as forklifts, hydraulic dollies and hand jacks should be used with precision and precaution, and only after proper training. Below are some important safety practices for equipment:
- Train, evaluate and certify all operators to ensure they can operate forklifts safely.
- Properly maintain haulage equipment, including tires.
- Before using a forklift, examine it for hazardous conditions that would make it unsafe to operate.
- Maintain sufficient clearances for aisles, loading docks and passages where forklifts are used.
- Ensure adequate ventilation to keep noxious gases from engine exhaust below acceptable limits. You can do this by opening doors and windows or using a ventilation system.
- Don’t handle loads that are heavier than the weight capacity of a forklift.
- Watch out for pedestrians and other vehicles, particularly around aisles.
- Use lift trucks with reinforced bumpers.
- Make sure any accessories you use are compatible with the equipment.
- Report, tag as “Out of Service” and remove defective equipment from service until it’s repaired.
- Test equipment controls and functionalities before starting a job.
Electrical hazards
Electrical tools, cords and equipment are integral parts of the warehouse floor, and all pose serious threats if handled carelessly. Enhance electrical safety at your warehouse by addressing the following areas of concern:
- Use appropriate grounding. Ensure all electronic equipment is appropriately grounded. This will decrease the risks of electrical shocks. Provide ground fault circuit interrupters for receptacle outlets. Also, make sure power cords are not blocking aisles or walkways to prevent trips and falls.
- Maintain optimal condition. All electrical equipment should be in optimal condition. Outlets and cords should be in good state with no exposed or frayed wires. Regularly inspect electrical tools with preliminary checks and appropriate tests. Carry out periodic preventive maintenance and look for visible signs of damage or flaws. Visual inspection is one of the most basic steps to ensure electrical safety.
- Avoid water. This may seem obvious, but you should keep electrical equipment away from water. Completely power down equipment when not in use, during service and during cleaning. Areas surrounding electrical cords and equipment hold high potential for electrical hazards. Keep these areas clean and dry. Keep materials such as metals and water out of these areas as an added precaution.
- Invest in training. Electrical safety training is one of the most important steps any warehouse manager can take to safeguard the facility.
Chemical hazards
Chemicals can be dangerous. Some chemicals present risks anytime you use them, while others are only dangerous if handled improperly. Substances that start relatively safe can become hazardous over time. For example, ether can degrade into peroxide after it’s been stored for about a year. And peroxide is explosive.
Every organization that uses or stores chemicals should have a control system. All containers should be labeled with their contents and expiration dates.
You also need a material safety data sheet for every chemical you use. Train employees who handle these materials on proper use, storage and disposal. All employees need to know what to do in the event of a spill, a chemical burn or another accident.
Safety and training
Safe warehouses continually train employees on safety precautions and protocols. Include regular, frequent updates and refresher courses in your training program. And make preventing unsafe behaviors your No. 1 priority.
Proper handling/lifting
Handling materials, whether by powered equipment or manually, can cause injuries to hands, fingers, feet and toes. And improper lifting or overexertion can lead to back injuries.
Whether employees use power equipment or their own bodies to move materials, they should obey these handling and lifting safety rules:
- Make preparation the first step. Check the load to decide how best to move it. Check the route to make sure there are no obstacles in the way. And check if there’s space for the load at its destination.
- Always use safe lifting techniques. Use your legs and keep your back in a natural position while lifting.
- When carrying objects, be sure you can see over the load.
- Don’t twist while carrying a load. Instead, shift your feet and take small steps in the direction you want to turn.
- When using material-handling equipment, follow proper operating procedures.
- When using a hand truck or pallet jack, load heavy objects on the bottom and secure bulky or awkward items.
- Push, rather than pull, manual material handling equipment whenever possible. And lean in the direction you’re going.
Personal protective equipment
Personal protective equipment (PPE) refers to clothing and equipment meant to ensure the safety of employees working in a warehouse environment. Common PPE for warehouse workers includes:
- Hard hats
- High-visibility safety jackets
- Safety goggles
- Warehouse safety boots with steel toe caps
- Overalls
- Safety gloves
These items can vary depending on the work environment.
Be sure to have spare PPE readily available for visitors and infrequent employees, as well as spares for regular employees.
Communication and signage
Safety signs in your warehouse are highly important to protect your workers and visitors from injury or even death. If you implement effective, clear visual communication, you’ll likely experience fewer accidents and injuries, increased efficiency and safer behavior throughout your facility.
Signage also allows you to communicate with workers even when a supervisor isn’t immediately present.
Your safety signage must be professionally manufactured, compliant with safety regulations and readable by all workers. And you must post your signage in the right locations, including entrances, exits and whererever equipment is located or moved to.
Security
Maintaining security at your warehouse is important if you want to keep your employees and the facility safe. Due to high volumes of inventory, warehouses are often at high risk for burglary and theft, especially if the inventory is highly valuable.
Risks to the security of your warehouse can be both internal and external sources. Internal security threats can come from employees and third parties hired by the business, while external security threats would involve anyone else who enters the warehouse without authorization.
To reduce your risks, consider the following:
Visitor sign-in procedures. Establish a visitor registration process to identify everyone who enters the warehouse. Don’t allow visitors or delivery drivers to go through the warehouse unaccompanied.
Building access. Install a barrier such as a fence around the exterior yard of the warehouse. Keep the gate locked when the warehouse is closed. If necessary, risk managers may allow access to authorized employees.
Activate alarms on all doors, including emergency exit doors, when the warehouse is closed.
Electronic security and surveillance systems. Use an electronic system to control access to high-value rooms and cages. Your access control system should provide an audit trail of who enters, when and for how long.
Install a video surveillance system to record activity in high-value cages and rooms. Place your cameras to view entrance points as well as interior areas.
Install intruder alarms to enable a fast and coordinated response in the event of theft or vandalism.
Employee screening. Employee theft can create staggering losses within warehouses. Conduct thorough background checks of potential employees before hiring, and pay attention to any accounts of theft or unexplained warehouse job losses.
Set up an anonymous reporting system. This will allow employees to report a coworker they believe is stealing without fear of repercussion.
Maintain a safe, productive warehouse
A safe warehouse is an efficient and productive warehouse. Provide training on hazard awareness, safety inspections and safety measures. This can help maintain a safe and secure working environment.
Businesses in the warehousing industry need insurance with adequate coverage for various liabilities. Contact our Risk Management team to learn more about essential policies and risk management strategies for your warehouse.
This content is for informational purposes only and not for the purpose of providing professional, financial, medical or legal advice. You should contact your licensed professional to obtain advice with respect to any particular issue or problem. Please refer to your policy contract for any specific information or questions on applicability of coverage.
Please note coverage can not be bound or a claim reported without written acknowledgment from a OneGroup Representative.
Written content in blog post: Copyright © 2024 Applied Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
