Top 7 Warehouse Hazards

The material handling industry not only involves countless hours of hard work and dedication, but it can also present a number of hazards to warehouse employees and not all of them are as easy to avoid as others. If you own and/or manage a warehouse, then health and safety in the workplace should be your number one priority to keep your staff safe.

According to the Health and Safety Executive, 123 people were killed in workplace accidents in 2021/2022, with ‘falls from a height’ being the hazard which caused the most fatalities. So what else should you look out for when it comes to hazards in the warehouse? We’re on hand to discuss them.

1. Forklifts in operation

Evans Distribution Systems claim that 95,000 injuries that occur in the warehouse each year, whether they be serious or otherwise, are forklift-related. However, it’s not a simple matter of warehouses ridding their premises of the machines altogether.

Forklifts are an essential part of the smooth-running of any warehouse or distribution centre and so they must remain in place as a valuable asset. Instead, steps should be taken to make sure that both pedestrians and operators are safe when working around forklifts, regardless of the fuel type or size.

Some of the things you can do to limit, or completely mitigate the risk of a forklift accident, are as follows:

• Make sure all alarms and lights are working on the forklift itself
• Ensure the operator has a seatbelt on before starting the forklift
• Have machine-designated and pedestrian-designated areas
• Put out an announcement to inform pedestrians that a forklift is in operation
• Do not overload the forklift
• Do not speed in the forklift
• Make sure that, when travelling along steep gradients, the forklift is being operated sensibly
• Ensure that forklift operators have received the right training before allowing them to drive the forklift in any capacity, including outdoors
• Check that the forklift is able to tackle rough, loose or uneven terrain before using it outside
• Double check the weight and lift capacity of the forklift before loading it or lifting it to a height

2. A lack of knowledge, experience or training

This has already been touched upon, slightly, but ensuring that all of your employees have received adequate training is paramount to the prevention of accidents in the warehouse, whether they operate the forklift or not. For example, those working the warehouse floor should know how to stack warehouse racking and where the pedestrian-designated areas are.

Forklift operators should know the weight capacity of the forklift they’re driving and know how to tackle steep gradients, especially when carrying loads. Do they know that empty forklifts should be operated with the forks down to ground level? Are they performing routine checks on material handling equipment at the start and the end of every shift? It’s not just training that can affect how safe your employees are in the workplace.

Not having the right knowledge or experience can also be dangerous in some capacities. With this in mind, before allowing workers to be promoted to higher positions, for example, make sure that they’re capable of taking on those new responsibilities. Wait until they have the knowledge and experience behind them before giving them a new or more demanding role.

3. The loading & unloading of stock

If this isn’t done safely, or without the right training, then it can pose an extremely dangerous threat to those working in and around the warehouse. Before handling the loads, they need to be inspected for damages and debris as well as making sure that they’re fastened and secured properly. Mishandling loads can be extremely dangerous as it has the potential to lead to the following instances:

• People becoming pinned between the load and the forklift
• People becoming pinned between the forklift and a wall
• People becoming trapped between the loading docks and a van, truck or lorry
• People becoming pinned between vehicles, whether they be material handling machines or otherwise
• Someone being hit by a truck, lorry or van
• Someone being hit by falling objects
• Someone being hit by falling dock plates

4. Objects falling from racking or machinery

When it comes to stacking your stock on racking and pallets, there are certain requirements that need to be met and processes that you’re required to follow to ensure they don’t fall from their storage location. For example, those items that are considerably weighty shouldn’t be stored on high shelves, with lighter goods at the bottom.

This is why you have implemented a range of high-calibre, powerful equipment – to manoeuvre goods to such a height safely and efficiently, but that load shouldn’t be heavy or exceed the weight capacity of the racking itself. Make sure lighter loads are placed on top and the heavy loads are placed on the bottom.

This will help to prevent the racking itself from tipping over, which can be incredibly dangerous and costly. You also need to ensure that the objects are placed securely onto the shelving. This includes making sure that items are placed fully on the shelves and are secured appropriately to ensure it doesn’t fall off from something as simple or as easy as a nudge.

5. Slips, trips & falls

Warehouse accidents are sometimes caused by employees slipping, tripping or falling. This could be as a result of abandoned objects in aisles, spillages or a lack of signage or hazard awareness aids, such as fluorescent strips. These are especially more likely during peak periods or when demand is at its highest.

Due to the increase in pressure, employees are more likely to be rushing around and, in the process, catch their feet on something or slip on a substance that has accidentally been spilled and not cleared up. You need to do your best to ensure slips, trips and falls don’t occur in and around the warehouse. Some of the things you could do includes:

• Checking that all aisles, walkways, docks and doorways are free of objects
• Looking for spillages and, if they occur, putting out signage that notifies passersby that the surface is wet whilst retrieving the equipment needed to clean up the spillage
• Making sure that any steps, either up or down, and other raised areas are highlighted with fluorescent strips
• Ensuring areas have been covered with anti-slip paint
• Making sure all areas are well-lit at all times
• Installing emergency lighting, as this will be on at all times

6. Manually lifting objects

Lifting loads, especially if they’re heavy, manually is extremely hazardous for warehouse employees. This can cause back, arm, shoulder, neck, hand and knee injuries to occur. Lifting objects should be covered in the health and safety training received when your employee was first enrolled in their position to mitigate injury.

That being said, there shouldn’t be a need to manually lift heavy loads with the right equipment in place. Multy Lift will be able to provide you with all of the machinery you need to be able to safely handle goods, no matter how heavy they might be. From new forklifts and pallet trucks to used reach trucks and second-hand scissor lifts, there is something for every business and every budget.

7. Working from a height

As we’ve already discussed, working from a height is the major cause of fatalities in the warehouse. Again, there needs to be the right training involved with this, together with ensuring that all of the right processes and regulations are being followed. This includes not reaching across for things and making sure that an employee is properly secured or tethered if working from a height.

You can also make sure that the right equipment is being used. For retrieving objects by hand, instead of using a ladder, operate an order picker as these have designated platforms specifically for pedestrians to stand on. They also come with all the restraints needed to ensure the operator is carrying out their role safely.

Multy Lift are highly-experienced specialists in the material handling industry. With over three decades of knowledge and expertise behind us, you’ll always be able to count on our experts to provide you with the right warehouse equipment for you, your employees and your business. No matter how large or modest or your budget might be, with a variety of new and used pieces of warehouse machinery available, including new and second-hand forklifts, reach trucks, pallet trucks and more. For more information about how we can help you today, get in touch with a member of our dedicated, professional team – we’re always happy to hear from you.