Working within a warehouse can be an extremely hazardous job and many people do not realise those hazards until it is too late.
Whilst many of them may be obvious, some are quite surprising and build up over time. In a busy warehouse where many workers are rushing around to meet their daily quota, these are the top 3 warehouse hazards they need to be aware of at all times.
Heavy Equipment
When you work with heavy equipment every single day within a warehouse environment, it can be very easy to forget just how dangerous this equipment can be.
Forklifts and loaders can still pose a potential hazard for employees and you should make sure that all employees are well aware of those dangers, including being cautious around the operation of forklifts and when they are operating and lifting stock around your pallet racking systems.
Regular training around your warehouse – especially in the case of a layout change – helps to keep your employees safe and operations to be undisturbed.
Falls
One of the most forgotten hazards that occurs within a busy warehouse comes in the form of trips and falls.
Although workers should not be working above your industrial storage racks, there can be incidents such as someone fixing or replacing warehouse lighting that will be above the racks and can fall to the floor. Ensuring that cheery picking equipment is used in these instances instead of permitting employees to scale the racking system is providing a safer and more sturdy avenue for people to work at height.
No employee should ever climb your warehouse storage equipment to do their job. Be sure to provide the safest possible equipment for them to work safely at all times.
Falling Stock
Reports suggest that two workers a month are seriously injured or die from being crushed by falling stock that is stored incorrectly. This can be from the stock being stored on inadequate racking or items being overloaded on the units.
All of your aisles need to have adequate spacing and warning signs attached, allowing for each employee to realise the risks that are constant when working around pallet racks. Any structural damage to the racks from small to large incidents also needs to be reported and addressed to avoid even greater catastrophes in the workplace.
Falling stock is the number one warehouse killer of unfortunate workers who get seriously injured or worse.
Contact the team at Monarch Shelving today for all of your warehouse racking solutions.
