While warehouses are vital for daily operations, inventory storage and product shipping, they can also be a business’s most dangerous spot. Every year warehouse accidents injure over 20,000 employees due to forklifts and other machinery hazards. In general, slips, trips and falls make up the most warehouse injuries.
If you have a warehouse, you benefit from faster services and distribution. You might also be subjecting yourself, and others, to hazards which can harm others. Therefore, work to balance safety with efficiency.
Keeping Your Warehouse Safe
As a business owner, you need to maintain a safe work environment. Material handling, storage and distribution have hidden dangers. But, you can eliminate them with good planning. Before taking things to the ground floor level, make sure you have an effective business insurance policy.
Insurance will protect your business if an accident occurs. If your employees slip on a dirty floor, or if a piece of machinery overheats and burns someone, a good business insurance plan will cover the costs. In most cases, a good liability insurance plan will protect you from the unexpected.
Once you've protected yourself from financial losses associated with accidents, theft, and injuries, you'll need to protect your employees. Workers' compensation insurance does this. If an employee faces injuries, for example, this will cover their medical expenses. It can even provide ongoing recovery care. It might therefore reduce out-of-pocket expenses you might otherwise have responsibility over.
Steer Clear of Machinery
Handling equipment comes in all shapes and sizes. Often, some machinery pieces weigh more than cars. Their misuse makes a warehouse dangerous. So, be sure to give employees enough instructions to use them.
Mark their usage locations, too. Take caution in marking offices, doorways and aisles. Report any unsafe equipment use—as well as any machinery blind-spots, breakdowns or maintenance needs.
Make Manual Lifting Safer
Once you’ve squared away the machinery, take charge with manual labor safety. Your warehouse might now be a safe place to work in, but it can still harm employees. Give employees ample training to lift warehouse materials. Keep the floors clean of slipping hazards. If possible, install signs which explain proper lifting technique. Enforce all rules to wear safety gear at all times.
Stick to the Safe Road
While making your warehouse safer may seem clear-cut, you need to think about the future. Warehouses require constant attention and upkeep. Check out the Bureau of Labor Statistics to determine your warehouse’s biggest hazards.
Once you’ve made your workplace safer, you can secure its future by eliminating long-term dangers. In time, every workday will be as safe as the last.