How to Keep Your Warehouse Safe for Crew

How to keep your warehouse safe for crew? It’s a combination of regular housekeeping, proper training to all staff and taking advantage of technology to prevent accidents. Let’s discuss each one of these and improve safety in your facility.

Regular housekeeping

Misplaced boxes and even sawdust can cause slippage and tipover. That’s why it’s crucial to regularly remove debris from the floors and inclined platforms. This will help prevent minor and major accidents among pedestrians and operators who are about to board or get out of the forklift truck.

Aside from slippage and tipover, dirty floors (especially from chemical spills) can cause fire and chemical hazards to everyone. Both fluids and solid particles can also interfere with the forklift’s braking and steering systems.

In other words, debris and dirt can cause direct or indirect harm to operators and other employees. In addition, poor sanitation practices may damage forklifts and eventually lead to costly downtimes and maintenance.

Proper training to all staff

This includes managers, inspectors and other employees who don’t operate forklifts. After all, forklifts hitting pedestrians is also a likely accident in many warehouses. All employees should be aware of safety practices during the shift.

For instance, forklift operators may have limited visual and auditory capabilities. This is due to limited vision and probably the noise in the warehouse. They might not be able to evade in time if there’s an incoming or steady pedestrian on the way.

In that type of scenario the pedestrian might get out of the way first. It takes a few seconds before an operator can drastically change the vehicle’s direction. This is especially the case when the forklift is carrying thousands of kilograms of cargo.

That’s why all employees should be aware of the safety practices in the workplace. Common sense won’t be enough to prevent dangers. What’s required is a thorough training and instruction so all employees are on the same page.

Use of technology for accident prevention

The complexity and modernisation of manufacturing and logistics industries resulted to the demand of modern solutions. After all, busy warehouses often have dozens of moving parts, vehicles and people who ensure the successful operation of the business.

To assist with safety (and further improve workplace productivity), modern tools exist such as the Optafleet Fleet Management System. It provides access control (only certified drivers are allowed to operate forklifts) and utilisation monitoring (maximise uptime and minimise downtime).