A common sense approach to warehouse safety

No-one can afford to be complacent when it comes to workplace safety, especially in warehousing and distribution centres, where 24/7 operations expose thousands of people to working in or around potentially hazardous materials, forklifts, close to storage areas, or around machines. Safety concerns and associated strategies remain a primary issue; but where do you start when you’re working towards a smarter, safer operation?  

Making safe decisions can’t be automated. However, adopting a common sense approach has to be a good start point in reducing the potential for an accident to occur. It places the emphasis on critical safety equipment and systems, which are invaluable assets when integrated into a well-planned and executed strategy.

For example, installing a visual routing system of delineators and chains in your warehouse, specifically designated for handling equipment such as forklifts and a separate one for pedestrian use, will instantly highlight if someone or something is out of place. If the scheme is well thought through, anyone walking into a workplace should be able to see at a glance if there is a problem or hazard.

Other technologies such as motion sensors, safety gates, guardrails, and associated equipment can be integrated to augment any routing system that’s in place. A combination of effective safety systems and technology can be essential for a safer workplace when they’re designed to work together. Safety has to be entwined with equipment and design, and can lead to increased efficiencies for warehouse operatives.

It’s always going to be difficult to completely mitigate the dangers in the industrial workplace. However, you can minimise the potential of severe accidents occurring in warehouses with the aid of proactive measures, which include safety barriers, bollard protectors, and speed restrictors.

Warehouse operatives’ physical awareness of their surroundings can diminish as the working day wears on; brought on by fatigue, or perhaps over familiarity or complacency. This can be all it takes for an accident to occur. It may include failure to hear the reversing sound of a forklift, a shouted warning by a colleague, or even the sound of the fire alarm. It’s pivotal that your employees are alert as to where they are and where danger could be lurking. 

Reassuring presence 

So bearing this in mind, taking a pragmatic approach with the installation of safety barriers can pay dividends. They help to maintain awareness while offering a reassuring presence in an area where it is more than likely a moving vehicle will be present which will encourage people in the warehouse to habitually check their surroundings. This means they can make sure they are not in the path of any forklifts or loading vehicles. The installation of well thought out safety barriers, will be a handy asset to have in place when it comes to ensuring your workers remain alert and aware of their surroundings.

Safety barriers and protectors also help to reduce the severity of damage – and cost - to both buildings and forklifts and other fleets vehicles in the event of a collision. It only takes a moment’s carelessness by a vehicle operator for an accident to occur, with all the associated ramifications. In the unfortunate event of a collision, a safety barrier can dramatically lower the risk of physical injury and expensive damage. 

A warehouse barrier system should be designed to standout, easily seen by the eye, particularly in environments where light levels may be low or inconsistent. Racking corners, vulnerable entrances and exit points should also be considered for protection by bollards and posts as part of an effective impact protection safety strategy. 

It’s not always a matter of deciding too if your operation needs better safety training or improved impact protection equipment.  It probably needs both to operate at peak safety and efficiency but adopting a common sense approach when it comes to investing in equipment can reap rewards in terms of improvements in overall safety, staff satisfaction and productivity. It’s also important to recognise that each warehouse - and its operation - is different: it has its own particular set of hazards and risks. This must be reflected in the final solution.

So, an impact protection strategy has to be tailored to meet individual needs – the ones size fits all simply won’t work in an environment where the optimum flow of productivity is paramount. Warehouses, large or small, require a good deal of complex safety planning and product support, so think about your investment in terms of quality, reliability and performance. Consider also how your supplier can add value through bespoke planning and consultancy services.