Warehouse facilities have become an essential part of our modern-day lives. They help countless businesses and corporations to meet the high demands of their clients besides offering a suitable work environment. Managing a warehouse isn’t an easy task; the supervisor has to ensure all the safety protocols are followed while still meeting the daily targets and demands of the company.
To avoid serious injuries or hazardous incidence, warehouse operators are required to have proper safety equipment. Moreover, warehouse facilities also have to be kept safe; there is a variety of security equipment that can help in safeguarding storage facilities. Deploying appropriate security tools can help minimize and eliminate malicious attempts of break-ins and theft in the storage facility.
Employees working in a storage facility should always have the right gear when carrying out their tasks. This means that employers have to provide the required safety gear besides ensuring the work environment is safe. Here’s a detailed explanation of the key features employers need to implement in your storage facility.
Personal Protective Equipment
The safety of your employees should be one of your top priorities in your facilities. As the facility owner, ensure you provide workers with hard hats to comply with safety regulations. High visibility jackets enable any person who’s operating a vehicle to spot fellow workers, thereby averting any danger that may be lurking. Proper safety boots can protect workers from slip accidents besides providing maximum safety of the feet. Apart from keeping the workers safe, PPEs can also help an organization to avoid unnecessary lawsuits as a result of failing to provide proper working gear.
Safety of Vehicles
This is yet another essential safety requirement every warehouse operator ought to include. Recently, there has been a surge in the number of injuries caused by vehicles in storage facilities. Reports indicate that a quarter of all fatality cases in storage facilities happened while the drivers were reversing.
To facilitate maximum protection in a warehouse, owners should only allow drivers that have the proper training to operate forklifts and other related vehicles. Put signs and clear pathways to indicate the proper speed limit which should not go past 5 mph. You should also caution your drivers to avoid reversing as much as possible. Another important element is implementing zero tolerance for irresponsible driving such as racing. When it comes to vehicle safety, drivers are the people who play a key role in ensuring the well-being of other workers within the facility; thus, always employ drivers who are competent and responsible.
Prevention of Slip and Fall
Studies have indicated that between 2015 and 2016, approximately 40 people succumbed due to slip and fall cases; in the same period, approximately 118,000 individuals suffered various injuries caused by the same problem. Slip and fall cases can be easily avoided if a facility adheres to several safety precautions. A lot of injuries can be avoided by simply observing good housekeeping. This implies that you have to instil a sense of responsibility in all the workers. They should always keep the warehouse tidy and remove anything that obstructs pathways. Spillage is the most common cause of slips and falls and should therefore be cleaned immediately they occur. The owners of storage facilities can also aid in preventing injuries by using anti-slip paints on the floor which helps in increasing grip on the floor.
Employees should also be trained on how to observe safe practices when using ladders and how to access items that are stored in high compartments. All the ladders have to be regularly checked to ensure they are safe for use. All employees operating at high elevation also have to receive proper training on maintaining the 3 points of contact – their two feet and one hand ought to support them. Moreover, employees should not operate on the ladder for an extended period and also refrain from using the top three rungs.
Conclusion
Warehouse facilities have greatly helped many businesses with their daily operation to meet the ever-increasing demand of modern consumers. Still, the safety of people who are working in such facilities shouldn’t be undermined; every employer has to guarantee that their storage facility follows the safety protocols stipulated by their jurisdiction. The points mentioned above were some of the things that can help to provide optimum safety within a storage facility.