Keeping your warehouse easy to reach and accident free.
A productive warehouse is a profitable warehouse. Is this as cliché as it sounds? Maybe not.
Hazards such as failure to use correct PPE or failure to follow proper lockout procedures, contributed to over 10,000 injuries reported in 2014. This cost the warehousing industry over £14.2 billion in sick pay, lost man hours, and compensation.
Thus the cliché seems to ring true.
Yet keeping warehouses organised is still seen as a chore, rather than a standard a way of doing things. As the heart of your distribution business, a warehouse must be kept tidy and organised to stay accident free and profitable.
The most common hazards in warehouses include unsafe use of forklifts, improper stacking and inadequate fire safety provisions. These in turn, leads to repetitive motion injuries, back strain, falls from height etc.
By implementing the following design and layout tips, warehouses can reduce accidents and increase productivity:
1. Improperly stacked pallets and over burdened racking can lead to collapse which can be fatal, yet it is an easily avoidable accident. With proper planning of your storage area, this can be eliminated.
Most warehouses don’t carry same-sized, same-shaped inventory all the same time. Therefore, segmenting your storage space so that items that are infrequently used are stored ‘out of sight’. This is done by investing in a wide range of racking systems. With this, you can cover all storage options and keep staff safe from over stuffed shelves.
2. Some warehouses color code different zones to help pickers locate SKUs. By reducing the distance travelled, you can retard the development of sore feet and RSI. If painting isn’t an option, placing clear numbered signs at points, along the racking can help them identify their picking locations.
You can also paint the racking and use this to differentiate the different zones they should be picking from. For fast moving SKUs, keeping popular products close to the area where they’ll be packed and shipped makes things easier for your pickers.
3. Strain injuries can be avoided by stocking products at heights that don’t require ladders or a reach truck to get to them. Commonly requested products should be stacked on shelves at a waist-to-shoulder height. Back strain injuries can be avoided if the weight of SKUs is considered. The rule of thumb is to store heavier products at or below knee level and have lighter items at eye or above eye level.
4. Demarcating designated work areas reduces the chances of a collision between of man and forklift. Areas of high pedestrian traffic must be cordoned off from the rest of the floor. High visibility paint, floor marking tape, and guard rails can all serve as a reminder for pedestrians to stay within the safe zone.
5. Having the most organised warehouse in the world is pointless if your staff resume their shifts and proceed to disorganise it again, simply because they don’t know the right processes. Developing tailored training programs for each department, will allow you train staff effectively. Pickers, forklift drivers, pump truck users have different roles, hence should receive tailored safety programs. The use of audiovisual and written aids is recommended, especially on moving equipment.
In the pursuit of company profits, striving for safety shouldn’t be seen as a hindrance. As long as a certain amount of accident-free days are met, and there is a constant review of any incidents, most businesses can achieve their long-term safety goals.
Monarch Shelving are experts in creating warehouse storage systems.
We help your business choose which options will fit your space while keeping staff safe. If you’re looking for new or used shelving, contact us today.
