Top 5 Health and Safety Issues In The Warehouse
While there are a lot of jobs that put you in danger and make it difficult for you to do your job without risking your life in one way or another, working in a warehouse can be incredibily dangerous and many people don’t even realize it. While some of the reasons might be obivous, there are some health and safety issues that might surprise you. The following are the top 5 health and safety issues in the warehouse.
1. Heavy Materials
On average, OSHA reports that two workers die every month on the job from being crushed and a lot of this has to do with not being properly trained on the equipment they are using. Ensure that you provide every single employee with more than enough training when it comes to press machines and other materials.
Additionally, you should try and make sure that you avoid loading docks and be weary of any heavy materials that could possibly fall and crush one of your employees.
Check out this video of an accident occuring in the warehouse.
Though nobody got hurt the damage was excruciating and the amount of materials they lost to damage was at its maximum.
2. Fires Leading to Health and Safety Issues in the Warehouse
This is one of the most overlooked and forgotten warehouse hazards that you will find but it can also be one of the most devastating if it happens to your warehouse. Luckily it is a very preventable hazard and you can help to do so by having building permits or considering one of our solutions, Fire Suppression systems. These solutions prevent and minimize irreversible damage caused by fire. At the minimalist, clearing marking your exits and making sure you have fire extinguishers all over when you need them can be most beneficial.
3. Employee Accidents and how to avoid them
While this might be one of the easier things to avoid there are a lot of accidents that occur in the warehouse. If you want to try and prevent as many slips and falls as you can in your warehouse, there are a lot of things you need to keep in mind.
You can make sure you get rid of some important factors that result in falling over loose materials. Another common accident is falling in the warehouse. Some ways to avoid this is by staying aware of your surroundings so that you can understand where you are, make sure there are proper guard rails in all of the necessary areas and make sure you know why you need them in a warehouse and how you can install them into your warehouse. BSC can help you with this.
4. Ergonomics dealing with health and safety issues in the warehouse
Not only does everything around your employees have to be in proper and working shape, but it is important that your employees themselves stay in good shape and take care of themselves and their bodies. If they happen to mistreat their body, then they can be at a bigger risk for pain or injury.
Making sure you know how to lift objects and bend to avoid injuries can all be avoided with our lifts and carousel systems. These systems are set up in warehouses and other industries to help employees retrieve items easier and quicker.
5. Moving & Falling Objects
It’s common to have moving parts and objects in a warehouse. Acknowledging these objects and being aware of the dangers they bring upon employees is the best way to avoid accidents. Like the video above showed, warehouses at times, stack objects so high it becomes a danger for everyone working in the warehouse as they become unstable. Without proper storage they can easily fall over and create dangerous outcomes for employees and imagine all the inventory you’d lose if everything collapsed.
We offer pallet racking systems that promote better storage systems and create the safety every warehouse needs. Want to know more about our solutions and services? Contact a local rep at 205-988-3300 for more information.