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Industrial Safety Checklist for Your Warehouse

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Working in a warehouse can be dangerous at times. Just in 2020 alone, there were 213,100 reported warehouse-related injuries and 8,300 warehouse-related illnesses. In order to create a better work environment, it’s important to follow warehouse safety tips and regulations. However, given the nature of a warehouse environment, this might seem like a daunting task. It’s important to keep employees healthy and working for a warehouse to thrive, which means that the risk of injury must be mitigated. Unfortunately, in the United States, the fatality rate for warehouse workers is above the average for all industries. It’s important to play an active role in making your warehouse safer for workers. So, to begin, you should make a checklist of hazards and potential fixes for them. Read along to learn more about what should be on your checklist.


Warehouse Safety Best Practices

In order to understand the best practices for keeping your warehouse workers safe, you need to know the variables that cause workplace accidents and injuries. For example, one of the major issues in warehouses is improper activity associated with forklifts. To fix the issue, you must be diligent about who operates the forklift, the type of training the operators receive, as well as preventative measures for other employees. In addition to this, you must do safety inspections regularly for large machinery like forklifts.

 

Some other common safety hazards in warehouses include:

 

These are just a few of many more safety hazards that can occur in a warehouse. With so many variables involved in such a large space, it can be difficult to keep up with. This is why it’s so important that every employee be aware of what might happen and work together to stop inadvertently creating hazards, as well as to identify and remedy them. Read on to learn more about what you should be doing in your own warehouse to reflect this type of cautious behavior.

Warehouse Safety Checklist

In order to know whether your warehouse is relatively safe or at risk for injuries, you need to conduct your own inspection. But what should this inspection entail? Well, we’ve got you covered.

 

First, you’ll need to be able to conduct a walkthrough of your warehouse. It can be helpful to have a list of regulations on hand for this step, whether it’s your company’s regulations or federal regulations. Look around your workplace to find anything that seems as though it might be hazardous. Pay special attention to details on this walkthrough or you could miss some things. Make note of each potential safety hazard you come across for later. You’ll want to use the checklist to take action.

 

So what makes a good safety checklist? Well, first and foremost, you should look at your company’s safety policies. Additionally, you’ll want to look at federal regulations from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Between the two of these resources, you’ll be able to figure out what the standards are for safe practices in your workplace.

 

Your checklist should be clear and thorough. Ideally, you’ll run this type of examination at least once a month in your warehouse. Additionally, you’ll want to incorporate plans of action if the warehouse does not meet the requirements you’ve listed.  

 

Here’s an example of a checklist you might write out for yourself:

1. Inspect Equipment

As stated before, it’s incredibly important to check that all of your equipment is up and running. Faulty equipment is a serious cause for concern when it comes to employee safety. In order for your company to fully protect workers, you’ll need to inspect (and replace) equipment and tools regularly.

2. Check for Building Damage

Not only does this protect you and your employees, but it also protects the entire business when you check for building damage. This includes floors, windows, ceilings, doors, etc. Mark down any damage and make sure to have it fixed.

3. Look for Obstructions

Obstructions are essentially just things that are in the way. For example, a box sitting in the middle of an aisle would be an obstruction. If it makes it harder for a worker to do their job, it can be a hazard. Try to keep workstations clean and free of clutter.

4. Check Fire Safety

Are fire extinguishers in a convenient location? Do all of the fire exits have signs? Do your sprinkler and alarm system work? All of these are basic fire safety regulations you should look into. This step is even more important if you have flammable objects or chemicals in your warehouse, as a fire could escalate or even cause an explosion.

 

5. Check Lighting

In a warehouse, lighting can be a big deal. If your space isn’t properly lit, it can lead to unnecessary injuries. Make sure that lighting is good in workstations, breakrooms, loading docks, offices, and stairwells.

 

6. Inspect Drainage

If fluids don’t drain properly, you risk a worker injuring themselves. Keep drains unblocked and ditches clear to prevent potential slips or falls.

 

7. Look at the Stairs

You might not think to go into the stairwell during your inspection, but you should. Workers can accidentally injure themselves if the lighting is poor, rails are loose or too short, or if there are obstructions in the pathway.

 

8. Check Ventilation

Proper ventilation is important when working in warehouse environments, especially if your business stores any chemicals inside. Naturally, warehouses can be very dusty places as well, so to prevent your workers from getting sick, adequate ventilation is needed.

OSHA Inspection Checklist

For more information and resources, you can research OSHA policies and regulations regarding warehouses, or you can simply reach out to us at Singer Safety. We are a company that sells safety equipment, and our goal is to create safe and productive workplaces. If your company is looking for safety gear in conjunction with updating safety policies, check out our website.


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