Tips For Maintaining Warehouse Safety
5 Simple Steps

Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE)

Sourcing the correct PPE, including hard hats, earplugs and hi-vis vests, to protective footwear and gloves is imperative, along with enforcing that workers wear the correct protective equipment at all times. It is also important that spare protective equipment is readily available in the warehouse, in case a worker’s gear is damaged and needs replacing immediately.

Inspect for Hazards

Warehouse spaces need to be clean and regularly checked that there is no debris on walkways and eliminate any unnecessary hazards. You should carry out regular visual inspections, along with expert racking inspections that are carried out at least once a year by a SEMA Approved Racking Inspector (SARI).

Provide Racking Training

The majority of warehouse accidents occur when workers are not sure what they are doing, or do not have sufficient training for the particular task in hand. Along with ensuring that all workers receive the correct training, running refresher courses several times a year is also helpful in keeping workers up to date with safety standards. You should promote a culture of mindfulness and awareness in a warehouse environment.

Implement Safety Signage

Signage throughout the warehouse does not only remind workers to wear their protective gear, but it can also warn workers of any potential hazards. Clearly display your warehouse signage on aisles, next to machinery and in high footfall areas, helping to ensure workers take extra care. You can also use signage to indicate walkways and forklift routes to ensure workers do not walk in high traffic routes.

Invest in Racking Protection

It is common for a forklift to collide with racking, particularly at the lower section of the uprights in the racking and in narrow aisles. Investing in rack deflektors and racking protection allows for these protective barriers to take the impact of collisions, and potentially prevent the racking from being damaged. This upright protection can be one of the most cost-effective solutions, eliminating the need of replacement racking. Other racking protection solutions include; anti-collapse mesh decking, end of rack barriers, pallet back stops and warehouse barriers.

There may be other risks on your site that you should also consider. We highly recommend reviewing and downloading the following guides from the Health and Safety Executive website: