Warehouse Safety: How to Prevent Common Safety Hazards

Ensuring safety in the warehouse is a number one precaution that all warehouse operations ensure to provide for their employees. Employees have a right to refuse unsafe work if they believe it poses a threat to themselves or other employees. It is important to provide employees a safe work environment prior to beginning any type of work. Also, create awareness and educate employees on potential safety hazards so they are able to identify if there is a risk for injury or an accident. Below are some warehouse safety hazards and solutions to prevent accidents from happening.

1. Heavy equipment accidents

Employees can become comfortable when working with heavy equipment every day and this can cause them to misjudge the danger of the equipment. This can result in accidents occurring since employees may overlook how powerful the machine can be.

Solution: Ensure and remind employees the potential dangers of operating heavy equipment, such as forklifts. Remind them to be cautious and careful when operating any type pf machinery. Also, ensure all employees are following all instructions for operating equipment.

2. Exposure to harmful substances

There may be times when harmful or hazards products are present in the workplace. If exposed to these products, they can pose a threat to their health and wellness. It is important that employees know the impacts of harmful or hazardous products in the warehouse.

Solution: Ensure employees can recognize harmful and/or hazardous products and communicate any concerns they may have. For hazardous products that are present in the workplace, WHMIS ensures the utmost in safety in the warehouse to your employees and enables employees to recognize hazardous products. For more information about WHMIS visit Ontario Ministry of Labour or our article discussing WHMIS.

3. Falls and slips

Falls and slips can be one of the most common accidents and can account for the majority of workplace accidents. They are not always easy to spot and can impact an employee’s ability to continue work.

Solution: Remember training instructions and be aware of surroundings when around loading docks. For example, if there is a large drop between floors, a proper guarding rail is important. Falls and slips can happen when employees are not paying attention and it is important to be aware of your surroundings.

4. Ergonomics

When working in a work environment where there is continual movement and lifting, it is important to ensure employees are mindful of the injuries that can occur. Some of the common issues of warehouse employees are back injuries and foot pain.

Solution: Ensure employees understand the importance of proper lifting methods and taking breaks when necessary. Being aware when rest is required, stretching and taking breaks is important in preventing injuries.

5. Lack of safety education

With a lack of safety training and informing employees, there is a high potential of injuries that can occur. If employees do not know the possible injuries and accidents that can happen, this can increase the odds of an accident occurring.

Solution: Ensure employees are fully aware of the injuries that can occur and are taking the proper precautions to prevent them from happening. A warehouse that is safe can increase efficiency and implement proper training in the first place will provide a safe work environment for all employees.

ADLI Logistics ensures our warehouse procedures and operations follow all regulations and rules. For more information regarding our warehouse facilities, call us at 1-877-363-7281 or fill out our contact form!