Like any business it is important to ensure that your warehouse is running smoothly at all times; not only do you need to maintain the efficiency of the workforce, but you also need to ensure that all safety procedures and practices are in place to ensure that everything is carried out in a lawful and safe way. By following these top tips you can make the most out of your warehouse.
Safety First
Make sure that all of your employees are properly trained on any equipment they will be using, the general running of the warehouse and what to do in certain situations. This is highly important for their safety and everyone else’s; if they are not fully trained on how to use something they could cause a serious accident where someone could be badly injured or worse, and the blame would lie with you.
You should have regular assessments to check that all equipment, fixtures and fittings, electrical systems and fire safety equipment is all up to date and in good condition, as well as getting all staff to report any incidents or faulty equipment. It’s vital to comply with HSE (Health & Safety Executive) guidelines and legislation with any kind of potentially dangerous equipment, for fire and electrical safety, as well as general warehouse safety like clear walkways.
Make The Most Of Your Space
Warehouse change over time – you may now be storing new stock that you didn’t previously, you may have expanded your business but not your premises, or you may just need a full renovation to ensure maximum productivity. Have a thorough look around your warehouse and if you can see spaces that are not being properly utilised then you are wasting valuable storage space; for example, if you are storing 5” high products on a 10” high shelving unit. You need to take into account the types of products you are storing and create a storage solution that coincides with the dimensions of the products.
If your warehouse is extremely outdated, it may be worth you completely renovating the interior to come up with a more streamlined and organised work area. You should make use of space higher up, this is something that many warehouses avoid as there is then a need for quality handling equipment, however to ensure that your warehouse is as efficient as possible, this is essential. You should also have more popular items in much more accessible places to ensure that they can be easily retrieved, which can have a massive impact on productivity.
Ensure You Have The Correct Handling Equipment
Having the right handling equipment is essential to running a successful and efficient warehouse, it can take much longer to get simple tasks completed without it. many businesses think they can cut costs by employing more staff to carry out lifting and manual labour tasks, when in actual fact, purchasing the correct equipment could increase their productivity saving them time and money. If you have a large warehouse, stock many large or awkwardly shaped items, or store items that are quite high up, it is a basic necessity that you have at least some handling equipment. It is important to purchase your equipment from a trusted supplier like SHS Handling to ensure that you receive high quality products that will last.
Handling equipment is vital for everything from safety to productivity – without the right equipment for particular tasks, you’ll not be able to satisfy either requirement of the effective running of a warehouse!
Now that you know how you can ensure that your warehouse is running smoothly, you can start implementing these top tips to so create a warehouse that works productively and efficiently.
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