Role of Line Marking in the Warehouse Safety Management Plan

Role of Line Marking in Warehouse Safety Management Plan Line marking is an essential part of a warehouse safety management plan. It is one of the main tools used by business owners and managers of warehouses to prevent accidents and injury in their workplace.

Every year in Australia there are a number of fatalities and injuries from accidents at work. Research conducted by Safe Work Australia shows that in 2017, 32% of workplace fatalities were due to vehicle collisions and 18% were caused when a person was hit by moving objects.[1] Unfortunately, the majority of workplace fatalities in 2017 were from the Transport, Postal and Warehousing sectors.[2] As a result, there is a huge imperative for warehouse business owners and managers to ensure their workplaces are a safe as possible and this is where warehouse line marking can assist.

Control the traffic and control the risks Warehouse line marking can help business owners and managers reduce the risk of hazards in their workplace by controlling the movement of traffic. In a warehouse, traffic includes delivery trucks, cars, powered mobile plant such as forklifts and rideon pallet movers, and pedestrians, such as workers and visitors. When interactions between people, plant and vehicles are reduced, the risk of potential accidents and injuries can also decrease.

Managing the layout of a warehouse and its operations by using warehouse line marking can assist with reducing interactions between people, plant and vehicles.

With some careful planning, information about traffic movements from research and input from the warehouse workforce, warehouse line markings can be used to: 

Mark areas for pedestrians to walk safely throughout the warehouse – this makes it clear to pedestrians where they can walk and excludes plant from operating in these areas. Pedestrian-only areas also convey to vehicles and plant that people will be present in these areas.

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Allocate areas where only plant and vehicles operate – this makes it evident that pedestrians are excluded from these areas.

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Show traffic flows for the movement of plant and vehicles, as well as speed limits in the warehouse.

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Designate parking areas for plant, as well as other car parking areas.

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Indicate where the ‘keep clear zones’ are throughout the workplace for warehouse workers and plant operators/drivers.

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Communicate to drivers the distance from the dock when they are reversing to unload or pick up items. This information can decrease the need for assisted reversing in vehicles which can be a safety risk.

Each of these methods, once employed, should be included in the warehouse traffic management plan and the overall warehouse safety management plan. These measures should be evaluated over time to ensure they are reducing the risks of accidents and injuries occurring in the warehouse.

For assistance with line marking at your warehouse, contact Kenex Stencils. We have 25 years of experience in line marking and can help your warehouse meet its safety management needs.