A warehouse is full of hazards. Heavy machinery, caustic chemicals, heavy objects stored vertically that can fall and cause damage; there are dangers in every expected, and unexpected, place.
It is important to make sure that you have the necessary safety precautions in place when you own and operate a business that has warehouse space and employees that work there.
Here are five basic warehouse safety tips that often go overlooked:
Equip packing stations with impact-absorbing, anti-slip industrial floor mats.
Warehouse work usually implies employees standing in fixed locations, often in the same position, for many hours a day. To help reduce the stress on the knees, shins, feet and joints of your workers, utilize the aforementioned mats and keep your workers happy, healthy and more productive throughout the day.
Make sure that stacked loads are straight and even to prevent them from toppling over.
Utilizing vertical space is the most efficient way to stock and manage a warehouse. However, this also means that gravity becomes another potential safety hazard. Making sure that goods are stacked straight and even to reduce the risk of falling and causing serious injury is a small step that will go a long way.
Keep floors clear of spills.
Clear liquids and oil spills are a hazard anywhere, but in an area where there is a lot of concrete, people are operating machinery and employees are carrying large, heavy, potentially dangerous packaging. Making sure that they are able to do so efficiently and without having to worry that there may be a slippery hazard around every corner will help everyone do their job more confidently and effectively.
Set reasonable time requirements for task completion.
Regardless of the competitive world or industry a business exists and competes in, the time allotted to a given task should always allow for adequate safety measures and precautions. Rushing through jobs that necessitate a high degree of concentration and awareness is a good way to increase the incidence of injury.
Prevent worker fatigue by ensuring there are ample breaks.
Tired people are inattentive people. When you are exhausted, you do not have all of your mental faculties about you and you not only underperform, but you put yourself and others in danger because your brain is not alert.
There are many things that can go seriously wrong in a warehouse setting, and accidents do happen, but if you have in place a high standard of safety and regulatory practice, you can help prevent avoidable accidents and ensure that your workers are healthy, happy and doing their best at all times.