Manage A Warehouse? How To Keep Your Employees Safe Around Pallet Racks

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If you manage a warehouse, employee safety needs to be your main concern. Workplace safety is particularly important when it comes to warehouse settings since heavy equipment is often used right along large pallet rack systems. Statistic show about 5.5 people per 100 are injured due to work-related accidents in warehouse settings. While you can't prevent every work-related accident and injury, there are steps you can take to greatly reduce the chances of your employees being injured on the job. If you utilize pallet rack systems and heavy equipment in your warehouse, here are four steps you can take to increase safety for your employees.

Ensure Proper Training

When it comes to warehouse work, proper training is key to employee safety. Whenever you hire new employees, provide thorough training before they begin work on the warehouse floor. After that, be sure to provide quarterly training seminars for all your employees. This will ensure that your new employees understand safety standards and your seasoned employees remain current on their safety standards.

Use Only Qualified Teams When Installing Pallet Racks

Teardrop pallet racking systems may look like over-sized shelving systems, but they're much more than that. Your pallet racks are going to be holding heavy loads. Before you start bringing pallet racks into your warehouse, make sure you have qualified teams to take care of the installation for you. Utilizing qualified teams for the installation will ensure that they're installed properly and that there are no issues that could pose safety risks for your employees. If your pallet racks will be utilized in a retail warehouse-setting, utilizing qualified installation crews will also ensure that your customers are safe from harm and accidents.

Insist on Daily Inspections of All Pallet Racks

Once your pallet racks are in place, it's important that you insist on daily inspections. This is particularly important if you'll have heavy equipment operating around your pallet rack systems. One bump with a forklift could damage your pallet racks, which could lead to a collapse. Daily inspections will allow you to catch minor problems before they turn into a disaster for your employees and customers. If you identify problems during your daily inspections, it's important that you you barricade that section until repairs can be made.

Maintain a Clean Work Environment

Finally, if you're in charge of a warehouse, you need to ensure that your employees maintain a clean work environment. Packaging material should be picked up and discarded immediately to avoid trip and fall accidents. Spills should be isolated and cleaned immediately to prevent slip and fall accidents. By maintaining a clean work environment, your employees will be less likely to suffer work-related injuries.   

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28 August 2017

Creating A Safer Work Environment

I have always been someone who loves to know more about the way the world works, which is part of the reason I started reading about industrial and manufacturing processes. I have always found it fascinating that professionals can create things by hand, and so I started attending factory tours, asking questions, and doing as much research as possible. It was really interesting to see how much of a difference my efforts made, and before I knew it, I was able to completely change the way I thought about manufacturing. This blog is here to help other people to appreciate the majesty of industry. Check it out!