Warehouse health & safety: what you need to know

Many companies that use warehouses or rent out temporary structures will be unaware of the different health and safety issues that they must comply with to ensure they are properly covered against accidents. Business buildings are often used for a range of activities from distribution to laser cutting.  For business owners, this means accidents can happen due to many different things, from slips, trips, and falls, to improper handling of goods and those involving machinery.

Some can come about as a result of badly maintained or damaged racking systems – and virtually anything else you can think of. The Health and Safety Executive states there are thousands of serious injuries each year in warehouses and it is up to companies to ensure they are on the right side of the law in terms of having the best safety processes in place to keep their employees safe and to ensure they are not liable if someone hurts themselves on the premises.

Stay on the right side of the law by knowing the rules

Each and every year, companies rent out temporary structures as they are a good way of keeping excess stock without having to worry about owning a particular area. However, there are health and safety pitfalls that employers fall into when they don’t need to as the information is available for all to see. For instance, many injuries come about from broken racking systems as a result of damage by heavy machinery. Inspections of the facilities should be taking place at least every six months to ensure everything is up to standard.

If you suspect that your racking system has been damaged then take the following steps:

·  Immediately report the damage and defects – if necessary call in a specialist to deal with the problem.
·  Offload the items on the damaged racking to prevent its use before the repair work has been done.
·  Conduct visual inspections thereafter to ensure no further damage is done.
·  Keep records of the inspections.

Top five things to look out for:

1.       Get rid of obstructions that could get in the way of people and machinery in the warehouse. This is particularly important at floor level to prevent trips from employees. Examples of obstructions could include the likes of waste packaging or pallets.

2.       Spillages are something that will occur relatively frequently, but they can also be dealt with very easily if done quickly. Spillages can easily make aisles and walkways very slippery, which can lead to accidents. Affected areas need to be cordoned off as soon as possible.

3.       Maintenance of warehouse equipment is of the utmost importance. Items can soon get into a state of disrepair if they are being used very often. Indeed, many accidents are caused by faulty or defective equipment that hasn’t been maintained properly. If you’re in doubt then check with the Workplace Health & Safety Welfare Regulations and Provision and use of Work Equipment Regulations 1998.

4.       Irresponsible behaviour is one of the biggest reasons for accidents in the workplace. Employees have a duty to behave responsibly in the workplace and it is important employers are clear about this. They should all know the code of conduct, which they are expected to abide by.

5.       Similar to the previous point, everyone should be well versed in how to use each set of equipment easily. Accidents can arise from improper use of equipment in warehouses, so employees must be trained properly to handle the heavy machinery.