5 Tips for Warehouse Health and Safety

Working in a warehouse presents a variety of health and safety risks that can have negative effects on both you, your staff, and your company. There are a variety of things you can do and put in place to minimise and prevent these risks. From advising and educating yourself and your staff, putting safety procedures in place, and buying specialised equipment to reduce the chance of injury, there is a lot you can do to make your warehouse safer. In this article we will go through a few tips to help you get started on creating a safe working environment in your warehouse.  

Warehouse Safety Signs 

Whether it’s wet floor signs, fire exit signs, or signs for waste management, it is essential to properly display cautions to reduce the chance of injury. There are four types of signs that are used in warehouse settings, the first of which is Mandatory signs which identify behaviours and actions that should be followed to reduce injury risks in the area. These types of signs will often provide information about required PPE, highlight the need for manual handling techniques, and the need to keep certain areas free from obstructions and other hazards. These signs are usually blue and white.  

The second type of warehouse sign is a Prohibitory sign that will be in red and white print and often features a circle with a diagonal cross through it. They will normally convey a command such as “stop”, “do not…” or “you must not…” to stop people from taking part in dangerous acts, to restrict areas of high risk, or to prevent smoking in or around prohibited areas.  

The third sign is Warning signs, that offer specific warnings to prevent injury in certain areas. They will be shown in a yellow triangle with a black outer border. They are made to caution employees and help them understand the risk that is presented in the area such as falling objects or warehouse vehicles in operation.  

The final type of warehouse safety sign is the Safe Condition sign which is printed in green squares with white symbols, with one of the most famous examples of this being fire exit signs. They are used to direct workers or highlight specific locations, such as fire exits, first aid stations, or emergency telephones. These types of signs are used in a variety of environments, not just warehouses, which is a testament to the importance of these signs in maintaining health and safety standards. The best way to know where to use these signs in your warehouse is by conducting a risk assessment of the facility, to identify hazards and risks that need to be signaled by one of the signs mentioned prior, where applicable.  

Preventing Injury During Heavy Lifting

Manual handling and heavy lifting can pose one of the biggest threats to an employee’s safety, with manual handling injuries making up a third of all workplace injuries in 2021, leading to over 477,000 workers suffering from work-related musculoskeletal disorders from 2022 onwards. Not only does this risk the safety of your employees but also the productivity of the warehouse, with 7.3 million working days lost due to work-related musculoskeletal disorders. All the above stats were taken from the government’s Health and Safety Executive website. Now that you know the risks of heavy lifting, it is just as important to understand h to minimise these risks. One way this can be done is through specialised lifting equipment, such as sack trucks to transport heavy loads such as bags, boxes, and groups of equipment. Other examples of equipment that can eliminate the need for manual lifting are lift trucks, pallet trucks, or trolleys. Outside of equipment, it is also incredibly important to train staff in manual lifting if it will be a necessary part of their job which will educate them on manual handling weight limits and proper handling techniques. 

Safe Use of Pallets and Racking

The majority of warehouses will use pallets and so will require staff to load and unload them onto the racking either with specialised tools or by hand. The risk of injury while loading pallets, especially at height, is high and so it is important to know how to manage and minimise these risks. The first tip for this is to use high-quality, durable racking and inspect them regularly to ensure they are safe to use. It is easy for racking to become damaged over time while dealing with heavy weights and potentially poor handling so ensuring they are fit for purpose is essential. A high-quality racking system will be durable and efficient with well-designed layouts to reduce downtime and maximise space. It’s also important to inspect the safety of your pallets before loading inventory onto them, ensuring they are free from loose nails, splinters, cracks, or any other issues that could compromise the safety of the pallet while carrying heavy weights. While transporting large amounts of inventory it is also important to use the proper PPE which can prevent injury in the case of falling debris or smaller equipment and many other ways.  

PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) 

Since 1992 it has been a requirement for every employer in Great Britain to provide their employees with PPE if they may be exposed to a health and safety risk while working in their role. The government’s PPE regulations define PPE as “all equipment which is intended to be worn or held by a person at work, and which protects the person against one or more risks to that person’s health and safety”. PPE can come in many forms, from helmets, safety glasses, high-vis vests and many more examples, so it is important to know when and where your employees need different types of PPE. An easy way to figure this out is with regular risk assessments so that you know what health and safety risks are present in your employee’s role and can then provide them with the correct PPE. For example, if an employee is working in an area with a risk of equipment falling then they would need to wear a helmet, or if they are working in an area with a lot of debris, they should wear safety glasses.