Your Guide to Risk Management in the Warehouse

Warehouses can be extremely busy places and depending on the nature of your business, they can pose a threat to your employees, whether they’re operating equipment or are working on the warehouse floor. As such, like with many workplaces, it’s essential that risk management is implemented and that includes conducting a risk assessment throughout your premises.

You will need to bring in a competent professional to carry out a risk assessment on your behalf, or you could appoint a member of your existing staff as the risk assessment manager, providing they’ve undergone the relevant training.

With this in mind, we’re on hand to talk you through everything you need to know about risk management and risk assessments in the warehouse. When it comes to conducting a risk assessment throughout your premises, you will need to ensure that the following is identifying, analysed and assessed accordingly:

• Identifying risks and hazards, such as items being left in doorways or stock not being stacked on warehouse racking safely or in line with regulations
• Identify who might be a risk; for example, a forklift operator will be more at risk of being injured as result of colliding with an object, whereas a pedestrian would be more at risk of being hit by a moving vehicle
• Once risks have been found, it must be determined whether or not they’re already being controlled and monitored, if there already aren’t measurements in place, then they must be implemented right away
• Is further action needed? This relates somewhat to the previous point about implementing preventative measures to minimise the risk that was initially found
• Everything needs to be logged and recorded for future reference, it’s also something that inspectors from external companies are required to see

When it comes to conducting risk assessments, there are a few things that you’ll need to make sure you cover, by law. Find out more about carrying out risk assessments throughout your warehouse by visiting the government website here.

Ensuring manual handling is done correctly

There are several musculoskeletal disorders that occur as a result of mishandling heavy stock and inventory in the warehouse, with bad backs being one of those problems. This is because everyone has different abilities and capabilities, so where one individual might be able to carry a heavy load manually, another person might not and will require the assistance of a piece of material handling equipment.

When it comes to conducting your risk assessment on the moving and handling of goods in the warehouse, you must take the following things to account in order to make the nest judgement:

• The action needed or job at hand – will the load need to be carried long distances or repetitive handling, for example?
• The capabilities of that individual – is the worker required to go above and beyond their capabilities to move a load? Are they experiencing any health conditions currently? Are they pregnant? Will they require specialist training? If the answer to any of those is ‘yes’, then make sure they are not manually moving loads of any kind. Instead, suggest they use equipment to do it for them, provided they have the training to operate the equipment properly
• The shape, size and weight of the load they’re carrying – if the load is large, bulky, particularly weighty, difficult to grip, unstable or unpredictable, then make sure these are not manually handled. They need to be moved using specialist equipment
• The work environment they’re in – does their work environment cause employees to have poor posture, for example? If yes, then action will be needed to ensure this is rectified. Uneven or poorly-maintained floors, as well as hot or cold conditions, strong air movements and poor lighting can also impact your employees’ ability to fulfil their roles

Making sure stress levels are kept to a minimum

Stress, in any job, can be caused by a variety of factors in the workplace. From the customer demand and employee relationships to changes within the company and the level of control they have over their work, it can all play a major role when it comes to inducing stress on your workers.

It’s important that, through your risk assessment, these things are identified and action is taken to make the workplace a far less stressful place. The factors that can increase stress level throughout your workforce includes, but is not limited to, the following:

• Demand from customers, employers and colleagues
• The level of control an employee feels they have other their work
• The support, or lack of, that an employee receives
• Developing bad or toxic relationships with colleagues or employers
• Not understanding their role in the company or feeling underappreciated and undervalued in their role
• Change has occurred within the company that affects them in a way it didn’t before, such as talk of downsizing a business or reducing the workforce

Remaining vigilant whilst vehicles & heavy machinery are in motion

It’s imperative that, whilst undertaking your risk assessment, you’re checking that workers are remaining vigilant at all times, especially when heavy machinery, such as forklifts, are in use. While those operating the warehouse machinery will be fully-trained in how to drive the material handling equipment safely, there could be an incident that presents itself that they might not have encountered before, even in training.

Therefore, it’s down to those on the ground to be the operators’ eyes and ears. A risk assessment needs to pinpoint cases where pedestrians are looking out for their own safety. But then again, equipment operators need to be just as alert whilst they’re driving their forklifts, for example.

This is to ensure they don’t collide with objects, people, racking or other machines. If this isn’t being done, then make sure operators are given the right training so they know how to spot risks and hazards in good time. Some of the key controls and rules you need to put in place are as follows:

• Roadways must be clear at all times
• Roadways must be able to accommodate even the largest of vehicles
• Traffic signalling must be adequate and fully-functional
• Parking facilities must be fully-accommodating
• Speed limits need to be in place and adhered to
• Road surfaces have to be well-maintained
• Operators must report to the office before attempting to manoeuvre equipment into loading and unloading areas
• Site rules need to be made clear and be understood by all employees
• One-way systems need to be obeyed at all times
• Sufficient lighting is needed throughout the premises
• Barriers must be present next to any and all vulnerable areas
• All signage needs to comply with existing road traffic legislation, if used in connection with traffic
• Safe systems are in place for the reversing of vehicles
• If high-risk vehicles are reversing, then the rear vision has to be supervised
• Vehicle routes and pedestrian routes need to be segregated at all times
• Only authorised personnel are working in yard areas
• Personnel must not enter the premises via roller shutter doors, they need to gain access using the single personnel doors provided
• Warning signs are displayed and clear and easy to understand in the appropriate places

Doing your utmost to prevent slips, trips & falls

Slips, trips and falls are highly-common occurrences in the warehouse. With that in mind, it’s paramount that your risk assessment involves the identification of debris on the ground or in doorways that could cause an employee to slip, fall or trip. It could even be as a result of harsh weather conditions, such as ice or snow on the ground.

Depending on the nature of your work, it could be something as simple as a product leaking liquid onto the floor, ready for someone to slip in. As such, the following controls should be looked at in order to reduce the risk of workers becoming injured as a result of a fall, trip or slip:

• Edge protection is provided where appropriate to prevent falls, especially from a height
• Employees need to be trained adequately in loading and unloading procedures
• Suitable access is needed to allow workers to use heavy machinery stored in the warehouse
• Floors and surfaces should be in good condition and well-maintained, including cleaning up spillages and breakages
• Gangways are kept clear at all times
• Appropriate safety gear needs to be worn, such as the right footwear, hard hats and fluorescent jackets
• Ice, snow and excess rainwater needs to be cleared from walkways, especially outside in yards and any paths that allow access to the premises, including paths that are used by customers
• Ensuring any fuel tanks are sealed properly and are not leaking

Checking that warehouse racking is installed properly & that stock isn’t going to fall off them

Warehouse racking is, often, an incredibly tall structure and it’s important that they’re secured in line with the manufacturer’s instructions. They also have the ability to collapse as well as topple if they’re secured incorrectly. In addition to warehouse racking failing, such high storage systems increase the risk of objects falling, which can have detrimental consequences if they topple from a great height. As such, the following controls need to be checked and/or put in place to ensure the safety of all:

• The base of all uprights are finished with plates that have been fixed, securely, to the ground
• Steel packing skins or material of the same strength also need to be fixed firmly
• All parts and components need to be fixed and erected in line with manufacturers’ guidelines and instructions
• Nuts and bolts need to be tightened adequately and fitted with spring washers
• Back-to-back storage systems need to be attached, securely, by fixed links
• The warehouse racking needs to be free from rust and/or corrosion
• All notices required by law need to be provided and displayed, such as signs advising people not to climb on racking
• Records of inspections and faults need to be looked at to ensure that remedial action is taken or already has been taken
• Each component within the racking system needs to be assigned a letter or a reference number
• The warehouse racking needs to be inspected regularly for damages, as well as signs of corrosion
• Employees need to be encouraged to report damages, whether they’ve been cause by colleagues or themselves

Meeting specific requirements when it comes to working at a height

Working at a height can be dangerous, especially for warehouse workers who are operating heavy machinery or dealing with high-risk goods, such as harsh chemicals. Where possible, the requirement to work at a height needs to be mitigated, but we understand that there are some instances where this might not be possible. When it comes to running a risk assessment on such matters, you’ll need to consider the following rules and controls:

• Use of ladders of any kind needs to be limited, especially when there are other, safer options available to workers
• Prohibiting the use of loading and lifting pallets onto forklift trucks in order to gain access to great heights if the forklift itself cannot manage it
• Prevent employees from climbing on warehouse racking, with the exception of racking that’s designed and manufactured specifically for climbing or walking on
• Ensuring sufficient training is in place and undertaken for working safely at a height

Multy Lift are highly-experienced material handling specialists who have been providing customers with quality, robust warehouse machinery for over three decades. As well as new and used forklifts, we also have new and second-hand warehouse equipment available. If you have a more modest budget, then forklift hire is available together with warehouse equipment rental and pallet truck hire. No matter what you need we’ll be able to meet your specific material handling requirements. For more information, get in touch with a member of our knowledgeable team today – we’re always happy to hear from you.