Workplace accidents can happen anytime. And when they occur, they can lead to severe injuries and even casualties. That’s especially true in warehouses where manual labor such as heavy lifting is common. Stating a fact, the warehousing industry sustains a high number of fatalities every year.
But these stats can be reduced drastically by following some safety tips. Here are some tips that need to be kept in mind in order to ensure efficient warehouse management and injury prevention.
- Vehicle Safety
Vehicle safety should be your topmost priority to prevent vehicle impact and injuries. And while this tip may sound silly, but most accidents at warehouses involve vehicle inefficiency. So, make sure to service your forklift and maintain vehicle safety.
Conduct proper training of your employees before letting them drive forklifts or lift trucks. Put up speed signs to ensure everyone follows them. Make sure your warehouse has adequate lighting so that the employees have maximum visibility even at night. Ensure that all of your movable machines and trucks are kept in the loading dock. Maintain a forklift logbook to ensure regular inspection and maintenance. Have professionals conduct the inspection and suggest necessary repairs if need be. If you invest in remanufactured forklifts, see to it that your employees carefully handle the machine. Because refurbished machines require high maintenance.
2. Slips, Trips, And Fall
Slips and trips are the most common causes of workplace injuries in warehouses. To prevent slips, trips, and falls, it is crucial that you carry extensive training of all your employees. During the training, teach them to efficiently clean spills immediately, clear obstructions, and keep their eyes open at all times. Outsource your cleaning needs so that your business operations don’t have to suffer. Also, ensure that the cleaners use eco-friendly cleaning supplies and green practices.
Have guard railings in place to cover the large gaps between floors. Instruct everyone to use anti-slip shoes. Also, see to it that the floor is anti-slip. What’s more, to avoid trips, keep the cables tidied away at all times in a cable tray. Enforce safety regulations for employees working at height. Ensure that the training focuses on how to get on and off the ladder safely, how to handle tools when working on it, and how to respond during a crisis.
3. Lifting Risks
Warehousing requires the staff to carry out manual and assisted-lifting techniques. So, it is crucial to implement control measures to avoid accidents. Educate your employees about the maximum safe working load (SWL) of each piece of equipment. It is important that everyone follows these limits to prevent wear and tear of the machinery. Furthermore, for manual handling needs, train your staff separately. For example, Amazon employee injuries in Georgia are often due to lack of training and unsafe working conditions.
4. Fire-Related Accidents
Fire-related accidents end up causing significant damage to the warehouse and loss of valuable resources. However, these accidents can be prevented. You can maintain fire safety by carrying out fire drills every year. This will help everyone get acquainted with the escape routes and understand what to do when a fire breaks out.
Do not miss fire alarm inspection and maintenance. Update the emergency exit plan frequently and let your staff know about the same. It is also advisable to put up emergency exit signs so that no one panics in case of a fire. Refill your fire extinguishers periodically. Last but not least, educate everyone about how to store chemicals. Because exposure to certain chemicals can cause skin damage.
Final Thoughts
Warehousing work activities create serious health and safety risks. Failure to control them may lead to injuries, fatalities, and legal issues. Therefore, it is crucial to implement and maintain safety procedures. To help you with the same, in this post, we discussed some warehouse safety tips.
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