Are Your Workers Aware Of Good Housekeeping In The Warehouse?

Good housekeeping is a foundation of safety in every work space of every workplace. However, it's particularly important in the warehouse where a variety of workers are doing a variety of jobs with a variety of equipment. If you have a warehouse in your workplace, you should conduct regular refresher training on warehouse housekeeping procedures. Here's a quick 10-minute training session that gives a brief overview of the different housekeeping concerns in the warehouse.

Aisles, Walkways, Stairs

• Keep aisles unobstructed. Cluttered aisles may block evacuation and cause falls.
• Clean up spills, because slippery, wet, or icy floors frequently cause falls.
• Report unstable or uneven walking surfaces so that they can be repaired.
• Report broken lights so that aisles and stairwells are well lit at all times.

Storage Areas

These areas should have stable, sturdy shelving to prevent injuries from falling items or shelving collapse. All storage should be appropriate for the types of materials to be stored.

• Store common items at heights that do not require excess stretching or bending to retrieve.
• Follow required special storage procedures for hazardous materials.
• Ensure that all containers are clearly labeled with necessary warnings and instructions.

Powered Equipment

This equipment reduces worker injuries by reducing manual moving of heavy items, but it presents its own hazards. Workers can get caught in conveyors or run down by forklifts.

• Never try to operate any powered equipment, such as forklifts, without proper training.
• If your warehouse has a conveyor, know how to shut off the equipment in case of an emergency.
• Never ride on a conveyor.

Forklifts

Forklifts are commonly used in warehouses and may be operated only by authorized and trained employees.

• Always be aware of forklift traffic and the driving lanes in the warehouse.
• Make sure the forklift operator sees you before approaching.
• Forklifts steer from the rear, so the back swings wide when making a turn and could hit you if you are walking beside it.
• Be especially careful if the forklift is on a ramp or an uneven surface—tipovers are the most common type of serious forklift accidents.

Manual Material-Handling Equipment

Even simple warehouse equipment like hand trucks, dollies, and manual pallet jacks can be hazardous if not used properly.

• Choose the right hand truck for the job.
• Stack the load so that you can see over it. Place the largest, heaviest items on the bottom so that the load is stable.
• Secure the load—strap it in place so that it can't shift position or fall off.
• Always push, don't pull—keep the load in front of you (unless going up a ramp) and under control.

Lifting

Every warehouse involves at least some manual moving and lifting. As a result, the majority of warehouse injuries involve back problems.

• Your legs, not your back, should do the work when lifting.
• Ask for help if you need to move a heavy load.

Of course, each of these areas merit their own training sessions, and you may want to conduct such separate sessions, especially if there is an incident in one of the areas. But an overall refresher course is still valuable for preventing incidents from happening in the first place.

Why It Matters

• A customer visiting a warehouse to collect items stored there had both legs broken when he was run over by a forklift going in reverse. Because of the severity of his injuries, the man had to have his left leg amputated below the knee.
• A warehouse worker was killed after falling 9 feet from a forklift platform. The worker was standing on the loaded platform as it was being raised to a warehouse rack.
• An employee was crushed under a 4,000-pound crate that fell from a forklift. The worker was spotting the unsecured crate, which fell when the forklift passed over an uneven docking plate.

Thanks to SafetyDailyAdvisor / BLR News