The safety of warehouse workers has, over time, become a major concern for industry players. However, warehouses can bring the risk by prioritizing warehouse safety tips. Unfortunately, most people don’t realize how dangerous working in a warehouse can be. The USA warehousing industry records the highest fatality rate than any other occupation. Luckily, the following warehouse safety tips can help ensure warehouse workers’ safety regardless of their population.
Training
Warehouse workers often groan when they hear about first-aid and safety training. However, training ensures that every warehouse worker understands the safe way to execute their duties. Safety training isn’t just familiarizing workers with safety procedures. It also involves reminding them of the potential safety hazards in their workplace. Warehouse workers need to be taught how to operate forklifts and other equipment to avoid injuries and fatalities. Schedule regular training sessions and track their progress to ensure compliance with OSHA training regulations.
Declutter Pathways and Aisles
Decluttering pathways and aisles can help prevent several safety hazards in a warehouse. For example, keeping pathways clear and spacious can help prevent falls and slips, which are the most common injuries in warehouses. Warehouses are naturally susceptible to fires, so clearing aisles and pathways is a critical fire safety measure. All warehouse pathways and emergency exits should be free of debris and well labeled to make it easier for workers to evacuate themselves in case of an emergency such as a fire.
Stay Alert
Safety starts with awareness. The best and easiest way to avoid potential safety issues and hazards in a warehouse is to be alert and aware of your surroundings. The loading docks are high traffic areas where workers should always be alert. Warehouse managers can use safety signs to keep workers aware of potential hazards when working in high traffic areas. Warehouse warning signs should be free of obstruction and visible.
Adhere to Forklift Safety Measures
Forklift safety measures are the most overlooked OSHA standards in warehouses. Research claims that over 95,000 warehouse workers are injured every year while operating forklifts. Most injuries in warehouses are caused by ignorance of forklift safety rules. However, warehouse managers can avoid such issues by training their workers on how to operate forklifts safely. Warehouse managers can ensure their staff members meet OSHA requirements by conducting regular forklift inspections. Inspection not only ensures compliance with OSHA requirements but also improves the safety of warehouse workers.
Implement the Right Lifting and Ergonomics Techniques
Warehouses often ignore lifting and ergonomics hazards until damage has occurred. However, these hidden hazards can be avoided by sticking to stacking guidelines. While lifting a heavy object may not cause damage, subjecting warehouse workers to repetitive strains can cause injuries and damages in the long run. Research claims that 10% of US warehouse workers suffer from these hidden hazards. However, warehouse managers can address them by including OSHA’s lifting techniques in their safety training programs. The other preventative measure is using lifting equipment when an object feels heavy.
Much of the safety of warehouse workers leads back to their training. Employee training helps ensure new warehouse workers use the right lifting techniques. It also ensures seasoned warehouse workers don’t ignore these techniques. It can be time-consuming and tedious for a warehouse manager to track warehouse safety training. With tight schedules and short deadlines, warehouse managers can easily overlook the importance of training workers on their work safety. However, warehouse managers can use training tracking software to get all the hard work out of workplace safety training. Tracking software will also let you have more time to focus on other things.
