how safe is your WAREHOUSE MOVING VEHICLES Being struck by a moving vehicle was the second highest cause of fatality in 2019/20*. Forklift trucks are a common sight in warehouses. Display safety notices and signs for drivers and people working on the warehouse floor to maintain a heightened awareness of fork-lift operations.
OVERLOADED RACKING Being struck by a moving or falling object was the cause of 18 workplace fatalities in 2019/20*. In a warehouse, preventing this type of injury is largely focused on stacking items safely. Racking should have clear tagging securely fixed to it, stating the maximum load together with any necessary specified load stipulations.
FALLS FROM HEIGHT The leading cause of all fatal injuries. Ladders can be a viable option for working at height, however, they should be regularly maintained and checked for defects which are easily communicated to potential users via documented risk assessments and ladder tags.
LIFTING & HANDLING Manual handling can lead to work-related musculoskeletal disorders which accounted for 8.9 million working days lost in 2019/20*. Manual handling should be avoided where possible and alternative solutions such as lift and pallet trucks should take the strain.
SLIPS & TRIPS Warehouse slips and trips are the leading cause of non-fatal workplace injuries in the UK. Workers can be reminded of the importance of general good housekeeping via prominently displayed posters.
(*source - HSE)
The dangerous nature of the warehouse and storage industry means that warehouse health and safety needs to be a major priority. As an industry, it has a higher than average rate of non-fatal injuries per 100,000 workers compared to other industries.* (*source - peoplesafe.co.uk)