The most common warehouse injuries are caused by falls, slips, trips, falling objects, forklift collisions and exposure to harmful substances. These result to physical injuries ranging from mild to severe (and sometimes death).
That’s why companies and managers take extra steps in ensuring workplace safety. This way, there will be minimal delays and damages to the goods. More importantly, the workers will remain safe at all times.
How to prevent warehouse injuries?
First is to identify the risk points where accidents and injuries are bound to happen. These points include:
- Slippery surfaces and uneven grounds
- Elevated and inclined work platforms
- Corners, intersections and narrow aisles (forklift collisions are likely)
- High shelves and racks (objects might fall down)
- Flammable fluids
- Sites and tasks that require cutting and opening boxes
Engineers and managers pay special attention to those risk points. Then, they devise strategies and refer to safety guidelines. This is to minimise (or ideally, eliminate) the risks to the workers.
For example, many workers now use safety knives to prevent cuts and improve ergonomicity. These safety knives are specifically designed for cutting packages, cardboards and boxes. In addition, the workers also wear personal protective equipment (e.g. steel-toed boots to protect toes from falling objects).
How to improve forklift safety
Improper operation of forklifts causes serious injuries and even fatalities. It might be due to collisions (forklift vs forklift, forklift vs pedestrian). These collisions may occur when:
- Forklift goes backward and driver doesn’t see pedestrian behind
- Manoeuvring in blind corners and narrow aisles
- Accidental movement due to improperly parked forklift
- Lack of designated areas for low speed driving
These can be prevented by installing alert systems that warn drivers when a pedestrian is nearby. This will allow drivers to adjust their driving (or halt) to avoid bumping into people.
Even when forklifts are stationary, they might still pose the same level of danger. That’s why there should also be an after-shift checklist.
Most common warehouse injuries and how to prevent them
An accident-free workplace is often the regular practice of dozens (if not hundreds) of proper safety measures. Every risk should be identified because one major accident can spell disaster to workers and the company.
That’s why here at ShockWatch, we understand the need for reliable damage and accident prevention solutions in manufacturing and logistics industries. We have fleet management solutions that allow monitoring and prevention of accidents.
Contact us today and tell us about your requirements. We can then further discuss our solutions to improve warehouse safety in your company.
