Warehouses are notoriously dangerous places, where the fast pace of daily operations and the use of heavy machinery makes accidents a serious threat to the wellbeing of workers.
In March 2013, The Daily Mail reported the death of a British female warehouse worker in Bristol. Anne Brennan was crushed to death by pallets in a warehouse, as stock was being moved by a forklift truck. The inquest into her death went on to reveal that the warehouse had experienced a number of near-miss accidents.
Online retail giant Amazon has also been at the forefront of concerns about warehouse safety, since reports emerged that one worker had been killed and another injured in separate incidents in the United States. Read more about these incidents at Recode.net.
In this post, we’ve outlined key areas of concern that all organisations should address, if individuals are to be kept safe.
Maintenance
In many warehouse accidents, faulty and malfunctioning machinery is to blame. When daily operations rely on equipment such as fork and scissor lifts, to transport stock, ensuring that these items are working properly is key to maintaining safety.
A log of inspections should be kept for all pieces of machinery used in a warehouse and repairs should always be made following the manufacturer’s guidelines. For more advice, visit the earlier post on raising safety for forklift repairs.
Storage
Adequate storage isn’t just crucial to efficient operations; it’s also key to creating a safe environment for workers. This is especially evident when faced with case studies, such as the death of Anne Brennan reported by the Daily Mail, of workers killed by pallets.
A&B Industrial Services supply a range of pallet racking solutions, designed to cope with the demands of different businesses and to suit your business scale. Made from galvanised steel for optimum load bearing, these frames are also supplied with floor anchors to prevent structures falling over.
Education
Providing the means of keeping workers safe is ineffective if it isn’t paired with the correct education to teach individuals about safe working practices.
A&B Industrial Services
Tel: 0191 232 8384
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